Mersin shows great interest in ‘Carmen’

MERSİN - Anatolia News Agency

Tickets for ‘Carmen’ premiere and the second show were snapped up days ago due to big interest of the city. DHA photo

French composer Georges Bizet’s operatic masterpiece, “Carmen,” has been attracting intense interest in the southern province of Mersin ahead of its performance by the Mersin State Opera and Ballet (MDOB), with tickets for the first two dates quickly sold out.

Tickets for the premiere and the second show were snapped up days ago, MDOB Art Director Erdoğan Şanal said in a written statement, adding that tickets for the third performance, scheduled for April 16, were going fast.

Due to the great interest, Şanal said they had put the tickets for the last performance on May 2 on sale already.

Most viewed piece

“With its melodic and orchestral brilliance, and thanks to the striking love story it depicts, Bizet’s ‘Carmen’ is the most viewed piece in the world. As in all over the world, ‘Carmen’ was also welcomed with a great interest in Mersin. We thank the art lovers of Mersin for their enthusiasm in ‘Carmen,’” he said. Tickets for the last two performances are available at the opera book office of the Mersin Culture Center and at www.mersindob.gov.tr.

“Carmen” is an opera in four acts by Bizet that is based on a novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée. Its music is widely acclaimed for its brilliance of melody, harmony, atmosphere and orchestration, and for the skill with which Bizet represented musically the emotions and suffering of his characters. The story of the opera has also been the subject of many screen and stage adaptations.