Bizet: Carmen [Import]

Well, this recording has an annoying shadow of anonimity. No one fully connects with their characters, so they're just going through the moves (albeit with a little more conviction than many other casts). It's gorgeous listening, but no one is a full three-dimensional person. This is particularly maddening because these artists have time and time proven themselves capable of MORE.

Troyanos does give us one of the best-sung Carmens in recent history. Domingo sings well, as he always does, but he digs broadly into Jose, he doesn't dig deeply - big difference. Van Dam is a solid Escamillo, although Bizet allotted him more charm and humor than what we get here. Te Kanawa's Micaela is the usual vanilla bean, although a lovely piece of vocalism. The supporting cast is a nice ensemble, but their interplay seems stagey and self-conscious. Needless to say, there's not much of anything Gallic in what's mostly an international reading.

Solti has really considered the text used for the recording, judiciously adding snippets here and there from Fritz Oeser's excavation of Bizet's manuscript and using a well-edited dialogue script. Musically, this is a very satisfying edition that we hear, and it makes a lot of sense.

For a better CARMEN, hold out for the DG recording under Claudio Abbado, starring Domingo again but with Teresa Berganza singing a Carmen true to her comique roots.