Rihab Chaieb opens the 2024 Glyndebourne Festival with Carmen:
A fresh interpretation of the iconic opera
May 16th to June 17th
A new production of Carmen, directed by award-winning Broadway director Diane Paulus, is set to open the 2024 Glyndebourne Opera Festival on Thursday, May 16th. It will feature Rihab Chaieb in the title role for the first month of performances (running from May 16th to June 17th) conducted by Robin Ticciati, who leads the London Philharmonic Orchestra. While the Tunisian-Canadian mezzo is no stranger to the English festival, this marks her debut in this role here, an opportunity she eagerly anticipates.
“The Carmen conceived in this production with Diane embodies the highest principles. Her ultimate aspiration is freedom, and she will stop at nothing to attain it. This Carmen is raw, having faced life’s challenges, yet she strives to make the best of her circumstances. She is a freedom fighter – explains Rihab on the eve of the premiere – but I also perceive her as a true feminist. For example, in the fight scene where she is supposed to engage with Manuelita, she actually conspires with her friends in the tobacco factory to stage a fake fight, allowing her to escape. This demonstrates solidarity among women, rather than competition and aggression.
Collaborating with Diane Paulus has been my first experience with a theater director, and it has been delightful to acquaint myself with her and her work throughout this process. It’s a departure from the typical style opera singers are accustomed to, with a primary focus on human emotions and interactions. I appreciate her perspective in viewing us as actors, enabling us, as opera singers, to convey these emotions while singing, particularly in an intimate setting like Glyndebourne. Personally, I love digging into the psyche of the character I interpret, as we often lack the opportunity to do so in opera. I consider myself a singing actress, and Diane and I are aligned in this approach, seeking the truth in human emotions.
My aim is to present a multifaceted Carmen to the audience—a fighter, a survivor, and the epitome of honesty. She is lively and charismatic, yet she marches to the beat of her own drum. She refuses to let any man, group, or societal norms define her or dictate her beliefs. I endeavor to bring a Carmen to the Glyndebourne stage that is raw, honest, powerful, and, above all, true and I look forward singing it in front of this special audience.”
For more information about the production: https://www.glyndebourne.com/events/carmen/
Carmen video trailer: https://vimeo.com/941263003/80ce1411f5?share=copy
Rihab’s English summer in music will continue at:
Royal Albert Hall as Glyndebourne Festival Opera makes its traditional visit to the BBC Proms on August 29th with a semi-staged version of Carmen.
info: https://www.bbc.co.uk/music/events/performers/1454f09a-d2cf-4a54-a9cf-700761f04309
Manchester Cathedral on June 4th for a fundraising concert organized by Make Freedom Ring group for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund (PCRF)
info: https://events.humanitix.com/make-freedom-ring-manchester
