I know the time has come for me to take on Don José. Lyrical roles have always been my safe zone. Mozart lives within me, but his style is supremely pure and beautiful. Don José in CARMEN is very earthy and physical. If I’m going to inhabit him, I’ve got to step outside myself and start yelling and desiring and yearning. I need to pack my performance with feeling. The big difference between other parts I’ve done and this one is the passion it demands. I’ve got to learn to let go, to leave behind my muscles and body, my tension, the conventions I’ve adopted. In essence, I’m making a fresh start, learning to sing all over again.

The French coined their own style in the late Romantic period and I’ve made a detailed study of it – but still, some of Bizet’s characters, Don José especially, are very taxing. So I’m making strides not only in terms of technique but also regarding my onstage acting. For instance, I’ve never killed anyone on stage and straightaway I’m playing a character who stabs his lover! Not easy. Being a baddie places its own demands on a singer. There may be people out there assuming that we’re just acting a part, but it’s not the case. In that moment we’re fully inhabiting the character.

I’ve come to respect Don José in spite of his cruelty. I admire the way he never wavers in his love for his mother. He accepts the change in direction that his life has taken. He could have started a family with Micaëla; it was what his mother wanted and everything would have been simple and good. Instead of which he meets Carmen, gets all fired up over her, throws over the traces and follows his heart. Embracing the things that Fate throws at you is a human quality. And whatever you think of Don José, we can probably agree on one thing: grass doesn’t grow under his feet. —