Carmen

Free or trapped? Carmen is one of the most fascinating operatic heroines to understand. For how can she at the start stand up and say that she is 'free as a bird' only to end up feeling compelled to try to reason with a man who she knows will kill her? In the end, Georges Bizet's hit opera from 1875 is a powerful story about how a man's greatest fear is being made a fool of, while a woman's is being killed. Carmen thus becomes an image of all the murdered women we hear about far too often in the news. Carmen is sung in Danish with Danish surtitles. Plot: Sergeant Don José falls in love with the petty criminal Carmen, whom he is guarding after a knife fight. She persuades him to let her go, and he does so, even though it will end his career in the forces of law and order. Don José joins Carmen and a travelling band of outlaws, although she repeatedly makes it clear that she is not interested in being with him. Carmen falls in love with the bullfighter Escamillo and wants to leave with him. Don José realises that his life lies in ruins, and he thinks it is Carmen's fault. In a rage he pursues Carmen and confronts her in a public place. With Carmen, Den Jyske Opera, in collaboration with Danner, puts the spotlight on partner violence and partner killings. Free musical prelude on Sunday 15 November from 12.00 to 13.00 in Caféscenen, Musikhuset Aarhus. Programme: Bizet / Carmen

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