The 37th Macau International Music Festival (MIMF) will showcase “Carmen”, an opera in four acts by French composer Georges Bizet (1838-1875), starting at 7:30 p.m. this Friday and Saturday, at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) in Nape, co-hosted by MIMF and integrated resort operator SJM Holdings Limited (SJM), according to a press conference held at the centre yesterday.
Directed by German-born Andreas Homoki, the production, co-produced with Switzerland’s Opernhaus Zürich (Zürich Opera House) and French company Opéra-Comique, marks the 150th anniversary of Bizet’s death.
This reimagined version of “Carmen aims to offer a contemporary take on the classic, blurring the boundaries between stage and audience. The press conference was attended by Homoki, Assistant Director Jodok Schweizer from Germany, MIMF Programme Director Lio Kuokman, and Norwegian conductor Eivind Gullberg Jensen.
The cast members feature Siberian soprano Maria Kokareva and US tenor Matthew White, as well as Italian musician Marco Bellei, the conductor of the China National Symphony Orchestra Chorus.
During the press conference, Homoki introduced the innovative approach of “breaking the fourth wall”* and creating a dynamic visual and emotional experience for the audience, and emphasised that the opera would not follow traditional, naturalistic settings but would take place on a minimalist stage, aiming to focus on the raw emotion of the performers. “’Carmen’ is not just a tragic opera but a fusion of drama, comedy, and musical theatre” Homoki said, referring to how the production intertwines entertainment and artistic expression.
Meanwhile, White highlighted the emotional depth of the opera, discussing how the character Don José, whom he plays, evolves in each performance. “The most complicated part of Don José is adjusting his emotional depth in every production. Every new perspective brings something unique,” he said.
The performance aims to offer a fresh take on a classic opera, bridging traditional themes with modern creative interpretations. Tickets for the 37th MIMF programmes are now on sale via Enjoy Macau Ticketing at ticketing.enjoymacao.mo. More information can be found on the MIMF website at www.icm.gov.mo/fimm.
*The fourth wall is an imaginary, invisible “wall” that separates the characters in a story (on a stage, in a film, TV show, or video game) from the real-world audience. The audience looks through this wall as if it were a one-way mirror, observing the fictional events. When a character acknowledges the audience or the fact that they are in a story, they are “breaking the fourth wall.” – DeepSeek
This photo shows the production team for the 37th Macau International Music Festival’s “Carmen”, featuring (from left to right) Maria Kokareva, Eivind Gullberg Jensen, Jodok Schweizer, Andreas Homoki, Lio Kuokman, Matthew White, and Marco Bellei, at the Macau Cultural Centre (CCM) in Nape yesterday. – Photo: Khalel Vallo
