By Bae Keun-min
Staff Reporter
The passionate but tragic heroin Carmen from Bizet's opera of the same name has a certain image _ a sexy, gypsy bombshell with dark hair and wearing a red dress.
However, a renowned Russian theater will break the image and provide variations in its Korean performance.
Two different versions of Carmen, one blond and the other dark-haired, will appear on the stage during the Stanislavsky and Nemirovich-Danchenko Moscow Music Theater's performances of the Bizet opera at the Goyang Aram Nuri Arts Complex in Gyeonggi Province from June 28 to 30.
``When I performed Carmen in Europe, I wore a dark wig. But at the Stanislavsky, I performed with my own hair,'' blond mezzo soprano Elena Maximova said during a press conference at a Seoul hotel Tuesday. ``I am playing myself on stage, not Carmen. I feel very comfortable.''
The role will be shared with mezzo soprano Nataliya Vladimirskaya, who has a look much closer to the typical image. She said her Carmen will be different from the one people will observe from that by Maximova.
``It is very attractive to perform the role because I can express myself as a singer and a woman at the same time,'' dark-haired Vladimirskaya said. ``I try to express all of my undiscovered potential with huge help from (Artistic Director of the theater) Alexander Titel.''
The fresh attempt on the image is closely linked with the founding spirit of the Russian theater, launched by legendary director Konstantin Stanislavsky (1863-1938) and playwright Vladimir Nemiro vich-Danchenko (1958-1943) in 1898. Stanislavsky, often praised as creator of the key foundation for 20th century acting, has two basic principals: to be creative using experimentation, and to make people fully understand what a piece is trying to say.
To do so, Stanislavsky created his own systematic approach to training actors to take full advantage of their own experiences and to work from the inside outward.
``I hope the audience will not only see my appearance as a blond but also observe my inner self,'' Maximova said. ``To bring characteristics of each performer to life on stage has made what is the Stanislavky Theater now.''
``The audience will be able to enjoy similarities and differences between Carmen by Elena and by Nataliya,'' Titel said.
This version will be set in Italy after World War I in the 20th century, different from the original 19th century, to maximize the chemistry and understanding between the piece and the audience in the contemporary era, Titel said. Carmen's wardrobe includes a sheer nightgown instead of a gypsy-style red dress.
The Russian theater will also present the Tchaikovsky opera ``The Queen of Spades'' from July 5 to 7 at the Goyang Complex, along with two special concerts, ``Russian Night'' on July 1 and an opera gala concert on July 2.
Tickets for each opera cost from 30,000 won to 150,000 won. For more information, call 1577-7766, 1588-7890 or 1544-1555.