this is the best carmen video, bar none. it has an unbeatable cast. migenes is a miracle as carmen. you won't see a better acted performance. and considering the recording was made before the film, it's amazing how well thought out her singing is, just the right emphasis being placed on every word. remarkable! domingo matches her word for word, and raimondi is a suave and commanding escamillo. the natural setting doesn't always work for opera, but here the open spaces give the performances room to breath, which is important because this IS an opera about freedom, sexual and otherwise. migenes, especially, takes full advantage of this. just look at her habanera, how she dances around, mesmerizing as much with her body language as with her bewitching words. this is how the habanera should be sung. wonderful. and she does the same with her other numbers.

this is the best carmen video money can buy.