Theatre Breakfast Ahead of the Premiere of "Carmen": Two New Carmens on Freedom, Passion and the Challenges of One of Opera’s Most Celebrated RolesOpera — 19. October 2026.
Ahead of the opening night of the new production of Georges Bizet’s Carmen on 23 October 2026, a Theatre Breakfast was held in the foyer of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, dedicated to one of the best-known and most frequently performed works in the operatic repertoire. At the heart of the discussion were two new opera principals, Sofija Petrović and Emilia Rukavina, who will alternate in the title role, and their artistic interpretations of Carmen, a woman whose uncompromising pursuit of freedom continues to resonate powerfully today.
Sofija Petrović and Emilia Rukavina, alongside Pier Giorgio Morandi, Chief Conductor of the Opera at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb, and director Pier Francesco Maestrini, discussed the challenges of portraying this legendary heroine, the many layers of Bizet’s music and the directorial concept behind the new production. The discussion was moderated by musicologist Zrinka Matić.
During the Theatre Breakfast, the audience had an opportunity to meet the artists and gain insight into their different approaches to Carmen, one of the most demanding and recognisable title roles in the mezzo-soprano repertoire. Carmen is a woman who rejects social conventions, refuses to compromise and places her own freedom above the expectations of those around her, even when such a choice leads to tragedy.
One of the musical highlights of the event was the performance of two celebrated arias from Act I, accompanied on the piano by Darijan Ivezić. Emilia Rukavina performed the famous Habanera, L’amour est un oiseau rebelle, in which Carmen reveals her unrestrained view of love, while Sofija Petrović interpreted the seductive Seguidilla, Près des remparts de Séville.
Pier Giorgio Morandi, Chief Conductor of the CNT Opera, emphasised the exceptional power and expressiveness of Bizet’s music, which captivates the listener from the very first bars.
“From the very first notes, the music is magnificent, brilliant and passionate,” Morandi emphasised, highlighting several key musical moments that give the opera its emotional and dramatic force. These include the Habanera, which expresses Carmen’s sensuality and free-spirited view of love, Don José’s Flower Song, which reveals the depth of his obsessive love, and Escamillo’s celebrated aria Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre, marked by self-confidence and vanity. He also singled out Micaëla’s aria Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante and her duet with Don José in Act I.
With this new production, director Pier Francesco Maestrini, known to Zagreb audiences for his successful production of Verdi’s Rigoletto, which premiered in October 2023, returned to the CNT stage. His directorial approach is rooted in respect for operatic tradition, but also in his intention to emphasise various themes found in well-known operas that resonate strongly with contemporary society.
“Above all, I wanted to approach the characters without any preconceived ideas. Carmen is often portrayed as a femme fatale: dangerous and selfish, almost as if she were responsible for her own tragedy, which can make her rather detestable. I see her differently. I imagine her as a cheerful, open, charming and sensual woman who naturally draws everyone’s attention,” Maestrini said.
This interpretation of Carmen places her personality and her right to make her own choices at its centre, inviting reflection on the relationship between freedom, love, jealousy and social expectations. Carmen was first performed in Zagreb in 1893 and, over the decades, has become an integral part of the operatic repertoire of the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb.
The opening night of Georges Bizet’s Carmen will take place on Friday, 23 October 2026, at the Croatian National Theatre in Zagreb.
