Carmen

I was fortunate enough to attend the last night of Carmen by Aria Alba in Stockbridge. Having seen the Opera with larger companies and full staging I was curious how the small cast and location would translate the passion and atmosphere of a larger company. The choreography was superb and I truly felt I was scaling the mountains, in the square and part of their experience. Having the spirit to Carmen powerfully and emotionally expressed by Moira Lewitt added a depth of character exploration I had not previously experienced in professional productions.
The orchestra was en pointe and built the atmosphere.along with the beautiful voices of the lead characters. I truly hope that more audiences can experience this unique performance.in a tour.

A truly terrific evening! Wow! A shout out for Gill as Frasquita & Fiona as Micaela. Beautiful singing & orchestra. Hugely enjoyable. Superb staging. I'm sad to be missing the cast tonight. Great work everyone, thank you!

5* entertainment. Get tickets if you can. Jake not only inspires the best talents in everyone in the cast but weaves these together so that the result is so much greater than the sum of the individual contributions. This could well be his best production yet, encompassing everything that makes up good opera.

Terrific evening out, truly opera for all - Carmen and Don Jose outstanding, but everyone helped the story to come alive. Enthusiastic cast, splendid orchestra, intelligent staging, Aria Alba know how to make the most of their people. And of course, the cheapest Carmen in town!

Carmen was a fantastic expierence for young and old. Fantastic singers including those who played Mercedes, Carmen and Don Jose!

Full recommend.

Another (figuratively) roaring triumph from Aria Alba, which I had the pleasure of enjoying at Melrose Corn Exchange, Saturday 3rd August. Fair to say that it far exceeded all expectations. Everyone was on fine singing form, but in particular socks were knocked off and goosebumps raised by Eilidh Riddell (Carmen), Amber Lipman (Micaela), Jake Zualski (Escamillo) and Aaron Fait (Don Jose), with lively accompaniment from pianist Max McWhirter. The addition of Moira Lewitt, a flamenco dancer who represents the “spirit of Carmen” and broodingly ties the whole conflict together, was a fantastic stroke of innovation which I loved! From start to finish the show was really engaging; simply but creatively staged, entertainingly choreographed and of course beautifully sung. So - if your Fringe schedule still needs some opera dates, absolutely make this one of them!