Mezzo sensation Aigul Akhmetshina will be the undoubted star of the Royal’s Opera’s new production of Bizet’s Carmen when it opens in April, but she will be joined on stage by a character never normally seen – one who represents a direct threat to her sultry eponymous heroine.

That figure is Don José’s mother. She’s not in the cast but is always present in the libretto, sending letters, money and kisses to her absent son. Director Damiano Michieletto believes her passive-aggressive manipulation is the key to Don José’s behaviour and to his eventual murder of Carmen. He says: ‘It’s a tragedy linked to man’s immaturity, to Don José’s inability to accept his own reality, eventually leading him to a tragic act, emblematic of his persistent infantilism.’

Michieletto will introduce an actor to play the mother: she will make an appearance in every act, offering silent reproach to her son, who cannot escape her influence. Carmen, the woman he loves, represents freedom, whereas he can never be truly free. Michieletto says Carmen’s freedom ‘implies the isolated life of an outsider, a stray animal. On the other hand, we have Don José’s mother, who tries to bind her son to herself, forcing him to obey, derailing his will and keeping control over him.’

Akhmetshina is enthusiastic about this idea. ‘It’s something new! Having the mother as a character adds depth to the story. It’s interesting to see the contrast between the mother, who represents tradition and rules, and Carmen, who symbolises freedom and living life to the fullest. Don José is caught between these two worlds. It’s a strong concept that adds complexity to the story. I’m excited to see how this plays out on stage and how the audience will react to it.’

Akhmetshina made a big impression when she sang Carmen for the first time in 2017 in a Royal Opera Jette Parker Artists production of La Tragédie de Carmen, directed by Gerard Jones. ‘Being part of that has really shaped how I approach the role, even now. Each time I perform, I find new things in the opera – in my character, the music, and the story. What’s special about Carmen is that you can interpret it in different ways without losing the magic of the music. One important thing I’ve learned [about the role] is that you can’t just rehearse Carmen; you have to live it every night. Carmen needs freedom and room for improvisation to truly connect with the audience.’

Michieletto will be setting his opera in Spain, but in a small village, rather than Seville, and he wants the atmosphere to be more Wild West than Iberian. ‘It will be rural, poor, dirty and sweaty, with a burning sun like a western movie,’ he says. In this way he hopes to heighten the irrational behaviour in the crowd scenes which are a feature of the opera. He has been showing the chorus videos of the Pamplona bull run where the animals are let loose in the streets and men clamour to goad them and avoid being tossed in the air or trampled underfoot. ‘I want some of that adrenalin, that energy, violence and craziness. When the toreador Escamillo turns up I want them to be wildly excited, as if a huge film star had just arrived in their tiny village.’

He feels that Carmen shares things in common with Cavalleria rusticana/Pagliacci (his2015 dipytych for the Royal Opera won an Olivier award). ‘Carmen has the same division in life between the public and the private,’ he says – a delicate tension that increases within a small community. That community will be placed in time somewhere around the late 1970s, one that is still religious and censorious, though Michieletto is quick to promise several comic moments.

And what of Carmen herself? Michieletto wants her independent spirit to be tied to a deeper conscience: when Don José releases her from prison, she knows he is risking his career and she sees his willingness to spend a month behind bars for her as a significant and important gesture. Similarly, she feels she has an obligation to teach younger women about the perils as well as the pleasures of love, so when she sings the Habanera she will be telling teenage girls about not giving in to controlling men.

‘I think it’s a great idea,’ says Akhmetshina. ‘It shows right away that Carmen is different from her community. People are drawn to her but also dislike her – men because they can’t control her, and women because they can’t be like her. Carmen is free, but she’s always judged. She just wants to be accepted for who she is inside, not just for her looks. Talking to teenage girls is important because they don’t judge her; they like her for being herself. Seeing them might remind her of her tough teenage years. Carmen gives them advice because she wishes someone had helped her when she was younger and going through hard times.’

Akhmetshina is currently in demand to play Carmen across the world. She’s appearing at Covent Garden, the Met, Glyndebourne, Munich, Berlin, Verona and Naples and – if the dates work – also in Madrid and at La Scala.

Don José at Covent Garden will be sung by Polish-born tenor Piotr Beczała, who has sung the role opposite Akhmetshina at the Met. ‘Working with Piotr has been wonderful. We connect well and understand each other. He’s a great colleague and artist, always open to new ideas and challenges. Transitioning from a modern American setting in 2023 at the Met to 1970s Spain in London has been a shift for us. We make sure not to fall back on old habits and repeat previous emotions or staging. We are open to trying new things. We focus on understanding our characters deeply, aiming to show a range of emotions and nuances in our performances, requiring me to delve into my own feelings to make the portrayal authentic and real, such as showing Carmen’s vulnerable side as never before.’ 

Carmen, a co-production with La Scala and Teatro Real, Madrid, runs at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden from 5 April to 31 May. Aigul Akhmetshina and Piotr Beczała appear until 5 May; Vasilisa Berzhanskaya and Brandon Jovanovich take the roles from 12 to 31 May

This article originally appeared in the Summer 2024 issue of Opera Now. Never miss an issue – subscribe today