John Beckett

There are too many memorable moments of Barrie Kosky's Carmen to recount here. All I can say is: whether you live in the upper stalls or are an opera novice, run to Covent Garden to see Carmen before it ends on March 16th.

I was hoping that opera was going in the direction of realness and convincing drama, but of the four hour long opera, most of the singers were just standing and singing: "park and bark," as they say.

There was stunningly vulnerable singing from the ensemble cast.