Currentzis: Carmen

Курентзис: Кармен

The most anticipated premiere of the summer — Salzburg's "Carmen" — became the event that divided critics and audiences alike. Argentine director-choreographer Gabriela Carrizo, the Belgian dance company Peeping Tom, and conductor Teodor Currentzis delivered not just a new interpretation, but a radical reinvention of opera's most familiar clichés.

Asmik Grigorian made her debut in a role atypical for a soprano; Jonathan Tetelman brought a searing intensity to the jealous Don José; Kristina Mkhitaryan was a fearless Micaëla; and Davide Luciano took on the swaggering Escamillo. This utterly star-studded cast captivated opera lovers worldwide. Meanwhile, Currentzis and his Utopia Orchestra unearthed a side of this beloved score that felt fresh, unexpected, and revelatory.

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Actors

Conductor

Teodor Currentzis

Carmen

Asmik Grigorian

Don José

Jonathan Tetelman

Micaela

Kristina Mkhitaryan

Escamillo

Davide Luciano

Frasquita

Iveta Simonyan

Morales

Liviu Holender

Utopia Orchestra

Peeping Tom Dance Company

Utopia Choir, choirmaster – Vitaly Polonsky

Salzburg Bach Choir, choirmaster – Michael Schneider

Children's Choir of the Salzburg Festival and Theatre, choirmasters – Wolfgang Götz, Regina Sgir

Crew

Stage Director, Choreography

Gabriela Carrizo

Set and costume designer

Christof Hetzer

Lighting designer

Tom Visser

Dramaturgy

Christian Arseni

About

The Utopia Orchestra, under the baton of Teodor Currentzis, revealed a side of this familiar score that felt entirely fresh and unexpected.

Designer Christoph Hetzer created a dark, abstract, almost apocalyptic landscape in shades of red and grey — with little trace of Iberian warmth or Mediterranean bustle. Instead: looming, impenetrable walls and stark grey rock. In this unsettling space, a performance unfolds that hovers between an anti-patriarchal parable and a troubling reality. At its core is an exploration of systemic violence. Carmen's murder is not just an act of jealous rage, but a femicide in a world where men are taught from childhood to kill.

Gabriela Carrizo's production is, above all, a dance piece. The main characters have dancing alter egos that embody their inner states. Carrizo dispenses entirely with the spoken dialogues by librettists Ludovic Halévy and Henri Meilhac, as well as Ernest Guiraud's recitatives — replacing them with electronic sound collages, the raw intensity of authentic flamenco, a visceral physical vocabulary, and dreamlike imagery.

Special project

Salzburger Festspiele

Three times a year – at Easter, at Whitsun, and in summer – Salzburg is transformed: the Music arrives. It echoes through the cobblestone streets of the Old Town (Altstadt), in historic theatres, churches, and concert halls. It gathers the most renowned performers, directors, conductors, and critics. And, of course, the audience from all over the world. Because there is no other festival like it: the Salzburg Festival lures with bold, unique opera productions and stirs an irresistible desire to see it all! →