Carmen - Opéra national de Bordeaux (2026-2027) - Carmen - Opéra national de Bordeaux (2026-2027), Emmanuelle Bastet

Description

New production by the Opéra National de Bordeaux (2026/2027 season).
A co-production between the Shanghai Conservatory of Music and the Opéra National de Bordeaux, in collaboration with the Shangyin Opera House; featuring work from the production workshops of both the Opéra National de Bordeaux and the Shangyin Opera House.

The Opéra National de Bordeaux opens its 2026/2027 opera season with a new production of Georges Bizet’s Carmen, directed by Emmanuelle Bastet.

Developed in partnership with the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, this original production returns to the roots of the story behind Bizet’s opera, aiming to "bring a new psychological depth to the character of Don José." Set in Seville, within a society where the Roma community and the broader Spanish population coexist with varying degrees of ease, Carmen is, in the words of Emmanuelle Bastet, a "sensory experience." She describes it as a world defined by "the scorching sun, the dust, the skin, the breath, the scent of tobacco, the brush of fabric, and the clinking of jewelry, all of which serve as catalysts for drama, the dizzying intensity of desire, and the stinging bite of jealousy." According to the director, Carmen is a "popular opera of absolute modernity, in which passion does not elevate, but rather ravages."

Further information is available on the opera house’s official website.