Carmen

Although it begins with the musical prologue to Georges Bizet's opera, this is not another rendition of that ever-popular warhorse, but rather a performance of what might be termed a flamenco ballet, fashioned in 1983 by Antonio Gades and Spanish filmmaker Carlos Saura (from Prosper Mérimée's famous novel) and re-created here at Madrid's Teatro Real in 2011. While other portions of Bizet's score—the “Toreador Song,” the habanera—are also included, most of the music consists of flamenco pieces by Gades and a half-dozen other composers, presented by a small onstage ensemble. Enjoyment of this piece will largely depend on one's appreciation for the clicking heels and clapping hands that dominate the dance form. Vanesa Vento (Carmen), Ángel Gil (Don José), and Jairo Rodríguez (the bullfighter) are outstanding, expressing in gesture and sinewy motion the characters' many emotional moods, as the shamelessly flirtatious and fickle Carmen seduces and then discards Don José in favor of the bullfighter, thereby inciting the rage of her rejected lover. Although subtitles are regrettably absent for the occasional lyrics, the sound is beautifully clear in DTS 5.1 (DTS-HD 5.1 on the Blu-ray release) and LPCM stereo. Extras include a subtitled behind-the-scenes documentary. Recommended. (F. Swietek)