Fresno Grand Opera's 'Carmen' has youth appeal

As an opera singer, Brian Jagde has a lot going for him right now. Consider:

-- He's young. At 32, the tenor has only been studying voice since age 20, and he's only been singing professionally since 2005.

-- He's got an amazing résumé. Along with a roster of regional opera appearances, two years ago he landed a prime, coveted young-artist gig as an Adler Fellow at San Francisco Opera. That led last year to a number of good parts, including the chance to cover the Don José role in "Carmen" with the company. And even more impressive, Jagde (pronounced "Jade") in November will star alongside Metropolitan Opera soprano Patricia Racette in San Francisco Opera's "Tosca," very much a big-deal debut.

-- He's sexy. That goes a long way these days in a time when opera is trying to appeal to younger audiences. In fact, that's one reason why Fresno Grand opera artistic director Joseph Bascetta -- who first met Jagde in a 2009 production of "La Boheme" with Syracuse Opera -- nabbed the tenor for his Don José in this weekend's productions of "Carmen" at the Saroyan Theatre.

"I was looking for someone fresh, young, handsome and virile," Bascetta says. "I really wanted somebody with the whole look. This is a fresh, young cast. The production is very sexual, very violent -- much more up-to-date than you'd expect."

Jagde just laughs when asked about the sizzle of it all -- or at least his role in it -- but he does acknowledge that he and Irene Roberts, who plays the tumultuous Carmen, share a steamy chemistry on stage.

"This is definitely a production that is hot," he says.

Throw in jealousy and murder, and you have all the ingredients for a soapy opera that is perfect for first-time fans, Bascetta says.

The director opted to set this "Carmen" in 1940 rather than the traditional early 19th century time period. Why? It's a distinctive and evocative era, one that feels modern yet still retains a sort of pre-World War II innocence. Plus the costume possibilities are terrific.

"I love the period," Bascetta says. "It's got a great look, a great feel."

There's another way he's freshening the material. When "Carmen" was written by Georges Bizet in 1875, it originally featured singing and dialogue in French. Later, that dialogue was converted by another composer to music, a style known as recitative. The result was basically an all-sung production that became the norm.

Lately, however, more productions are returning to spoken dialogue between the famous arias, says Bascetta, who's putting another twist on the premise: The singing will be in French and the dialogue will be in English. The result will be a more accessible work, he says, that actually has a lot in common with a traditional Broadway-style musical.

For Jagde, adjusting to the French-English divide is no problem at all. In fact, when he was at San Francisco Opera, he had to prepare basically two different versions of "Carmen." When he covered the Brazilian tenor Thiago Arancam -- which meant he had to go on as an understudy if required -- he sang both the music and dialogue in French.

He also performed in a "family" version of the opera in which both the music and dialogue were in English.

So, with Fresno, it's a half-and-half affair -- and all he has to do is make sure he keeps the languages straight.

After his Fresno engagement, his schedule is packed with engagements to such far-flung locales as Minnesota, but he's clearly looking forward to his big "Tosca" debut in November.

He grew up on the East Coast, where the Metropolitan Opera reigns supreme, but San Francisco Opera is just as prestigious, he says.

"San Francisco was always a dream," he says. "I wanted it more than anything. I think I'm ready for it. I'm more excited than scared. I feel more comfortable on the stage than anywhere else."

OPERA PREVIEW

"Carmen," 8 p.m. Friday, 2 p.m. Sunday. Saroyan Theatre, 700 M St. fresnograndopera.org (559) 442-5699. Tickets: $17.50-$89.50.