The Hindu : New Delhi News : Underprivileged children take part in French opera

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Tuesday, Apr 22, 2008
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Underprivileged children take part in French opera

Staff Reporter

They learnt to pronounce the alien language under volunteer’s guidance

‘They not only sang in French but also enacted various scenes in the opera’

NEW DELHI: Described as the world’s most-performed musical drama, Georges Bizet’s famous opera “Carmen” regaled Delhiites for three days.

Brought by the Neemrana Music Foundation in association with The Ashok, the French opera gave the underprivileged children of Deepalaya School at Kalkaji Extension here an opportunity to participate in the extravagant event.

Since January this year students of Deepalaya School had been training diligently for the opera. Under the able guidance of Pascal Fautrat, a volunteer with Deepalaya, the students learnt about the nuances of the opera.

As the students had absolutely no knowledge of French, Pascal taught the students -- from Class VII to XII -- songs in French language. “They gained confidence and could correctly pronounce the alien language after Pascal’s workshop. They not only sang in French but also enacted various scenes in the opera,” said a member of the non-government organisation.

Based on the life of an eponymous girl Carmen, who is very beautiful but fickle, the opera is set in Seville, Spain, in 1830. It revolves round Carmen, the beautiful gypsy with a fiery temper. Her relationship with Corporal Don José, an inexperienced soldier, leads him to reject his former love.

He turns to a criminal life and ultimately out of jealousy murders Carmen. Although he is briefly happy with Carmen, he is in rage when she turns from him to the bullfighter Escamillo.

“Carmen” is Georges Bizet’s spine-tingling masterpiece. Thick with passion, love and betrayal, it is one of the world’s most performed operas. Carmen has proven herself a hit with generation after generation of opera goers, and it’s also a riveting experience for newcomers to opera.

The strength of the story has inspired commercialisation with production of multiple feature films, even including an MTV hip-hop modernisation of the classic tale. The opera was first premiered at Opéra Comique in Paris way back on March 3, 1875.

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