Ana María Martínez is CARMEN in the Closing presentation of the Casals Festival celebrating the 50th
Anniversary of Ópera de Puerto Rico
The Golden Anniversary of the oldest opera company in Puerto Rico.
The Puerto Rican singer with the greatest international projection.
Our Rafael Dávila in the role of his triumph at the Met.
The most popular opera in the world.
The majestic setting of the Casals Festival.
All the factors come together to make the show on Saturday, June 4, an unforgettable night for those who gather at the Antonio Paoli Festival Hall for the closing of the Casals Festival 2022 edition.
The eternal popularity of Bizet's CARMEN is due to the perfect combination of a gripping story and compelling music. A fateful love triangle between a gypsy, a soldier and a bullfighter expressed in a great score, which includes popular pieces like the the seductive Habanera, the children's choir, the vibrant Toreador song, and the heartbreaking final duet.
The title role is one of the great challenges in the repertoire. It requires from the performer extraordinary skills as an actress, endurance to sing for four acts, mastery of both the style of French opera and Spanish rhythms, and a color of voice that can be velvety for seduction and dramatic for confrontations: the perfect vehicle for the enormous talent of our Ana María Martínez, who has already triumphed as Carmen in Houston and Los Angeles.
Rafael Dávila, will be the obsessed Don José, giving us the opportunity to see him in the role with which he achieved great success in his debut at the Metroplitan Opera. Rafael's voice is ideal for this character, and this was recognized by New York critics. The main cast is completed by the soprano Zulimar López as the sweet Micaela and, as the bullfighter Escamillo, the extraordinary baritone Ricardo José Rivera.
The Choir of 40-voices will be in charge of Jo-Anne Herrero and there will be a special participation of the San Juan Children's Choir. The stage direction and production design are in charge of the experienced Gilberto Valenzuela, and the Puerto Rico Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by the prestigious Catalan maestro Josep Caballé Domenech, who will be making his debut on our island.
Ana María Martínez, Carmen
Rafael Dávila, Don José