Bizet's Carmen doesn't make a splash

Uria-Monzon, Papis and Vaduva join the Orchestre National de Bordeaux Aquitaine and Alain Lombard for another rendition of Carmen

Composer: Bizet
Repertoire: Carmen
Artists: Uria-Monzon, Papis, Vaduva (soloists), Orchestre National de Bordeaux Aquitaine/Alain Lombard
Rating: 2/5
Genre: Operal
Label: Naïve V 4964

Although there are so many wonderful recordings of Carmen on the market, this one has many merits. Uria-Monzon (Carmen) has a rich, full-blooded voice, and the orchestra sounds velvety and sensuous. But on the whole there’s not much drama – Papis (Don José) has a wooden way with phrasing, and Vaduva (Micaëla) sounds a little shrieky. However it does have French people speaking the dialogue, which is a plus.