The secondary roles, since they were in the capable hands of Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artists, present and past, means they were lifted to a degree of prominence not usually attainable in Carmen. Zuniga (Jeremy Harr) tries to maintain order Mark Trawka did his usual wonders with the always excellent chorus, and the stage at times was a seething mass of colorfully and richly costumed choristers, supes, a couple of dancers from Attack Theatre and a large number of well drilled youngsters from the Pittsburgh Youth Chorus. Their sound was solid and appropriate throughout, with the overture being a snappy standout, and the divine prelude to Act III being especially exquisite. So far as the conducting of Antony Walker, and the large group of instrumentalists following his lead, it’s somewhat of a challenge to come up with “superlative” adjectives that haven’t been used before. It was a touching moment, and deeply appreciated.

Earlier, Christopher Hahn, General Director of Pittsburgh Opera, made a few hearts skip beats when he walked onto the stage once the lights dimmed a little after 8:00, but he quickly spoke of the COVID-induced delays in bringing the production to fruition, then asked everyone to rise for the playing and the singing of the Ukrainian national anthem.

The final curtain had to be dropped, and left down, in order for people to realize it was time to go home. The crowd on hand to take in last night’s extravaganza was large, and knew it was hearing a good thing, because applause was loud, long and sincere.

Carmen opera tickets 2017