She wears a big curly wig that is a distraction to the viewer, and is all wrong for her coloring. Elina was the perfect Carmen, sezy, sultry and physical. It’s as sexy as it is natural. Lorenzo Viotti also made his debut with the company conducting the Orchestre de l’Opéra national de Paris. In this case, Elina Garanca, the Met’s Latvian Carmen, would have been trading many spoken lines with Roberto Alagna, the French tenor of Sicilian heritage, which would had added pressure on the star. She’s quick to anger–she kicks and spits–but her general indifference is as alluring as it is frightening. File photo: Ken Howard By all accounts, Friday night’s Carmen should have been one of most exciting nights of the Metropolitan Opera’s season. The new Carmen, Elina Garanca, is finely drawn. Elīna Garanča’s personal choice of her greatest tracks, released to coincide with her receiving an Echo Award (6 October) & the publication of her memoirs in December. {…} Elīna Garanča leads the cast as the iconic gypsy of the title—a woman desired by every man but determined to remain true to herself. Elina Garanca as Carmen and Roberto Alagna as Don Jos Credit: Ken Howard At the Paris première of Carmen in 1875, the French critics thought the story scandalous and obscene and dismissed Georges Bizet’s music as garish. She breaths life into every intonation. Elina Garanca will never be my idea of Carmen: She gets around the stage athletically enough, and sings well, but she is more terrifying than charming. Elīna Garanča – review. Richard Eyre’s stunning new production of Bizet’s opera was the talk of the town when it was unveiled on New Year’s Eve 2009. Elina Garanca and Roberto Alagna star in Bizet’s “Carmen” at the Metropolitan Opera. I have always loved Carmen and have seen many performances going back to Risa Stevens in the 1950's. Garanca's vocal quality is pure and stong with perfect pitch. If you like the sound of a true mezzo soprano as I do then you will love this disc. Barbican, London. Auditorium RAI Arturo Toscanini, Torino, March 2010 The Latvian mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca is the most convincing Carmen in a long time, and not just because of the way she hikes her skirts to stroke a naked thigh. Carmen is one of the roles for which Latvian mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca is best known and in this album, including several selections from the opera, she brings together a diverse assortment of songs and arias with gypsy themes. Wed 3 Oct 2012 12.33 EDT. During the Habanera, rather than dance she takes the time to wash her legs with water from a bucket. Let the debate begin. Today, at least a majority of opera companies around the world present “Carmen” without the Guiraud recitatives. If you love her voice, don't miss out on her Carmen from the Met with Alagna - the best performance of the work available on DVD. Garanca is the best mezzo singing today and this is an excellent compilation of her work - love her wonderful voice - a shame a singer as good as she is - is that gorgeous too! The Paris Opera revived the Calixto Bieto’s production of “Carmen” at La Bastille with a cast to die for: Anita Rachvelishvili and Roberto Alagna as the tormented couple of Carmen and Don Jose, and Nicole Carr and Roberto Tagliavini as Micaëla and Escamillo. Elina Garanca - Habanera Elina Garanca (mezzo) Roberto Alagna (tenor)(2), José Maria Gallardo (guitar) (7, 11, 12), Coro Filarmonico del Regio di Torino, Orchestra Sinfonica Nazionale della Rai/Karel Mark Chichon rec. George Hall. Ten years ago she made her sensational début at the Salzburg Festival, singing the role of Annio in Mozart’s Clemenza di Tito.