Bizet's Carmen

When I was growing up, my mum listened to classical music at home all the time. By osmosis, I became familiar with the likes of Beethoven, Bach, et al. The story my mum likes to tell to this day is, once, I proclaimed Carmen to be a "bad woman." Why? Because if she's already with somebody, she shouldn't go off with someone else. Clearly, I was quite a prude even at a young age.

Since then, I've seen the Canadian Opera Company's production of Carmen, listened to the opera on my CD many times, and come to realize that Carmen isn't a "bad woman." Besides, who cares about stories in operas? They're all hokey anyway. The music is where the magic is. A few days ago when I found out that the Empire Theatres were showing the Royal Opera's production of Carmen, I convinced Jeff to go.

Well, it wasn't bad. Every song is as familiar and energetic as ever, yet when I looked around the almost packed cinema, I had to wonder about the future of opera because everywhere I turned, I saw people with grey hair, with walkers, with oxygen tanks! And I can't blame young people for not wanting to take part. At times, the music is dull, and the story silly. Even though I still love classical music, I'm not one who believes that the arts must be rescued at all costs. It's the way it is: some things survive, others fade away.