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7 July 2023
Preview of Carla Ricotti's costume design for George Bizet's 'Carmen' at the 'Oper im Steinbruch' in Burgenland, Austria
Carla Ricotti has been designing stage costumes since 1995. The extensive list of productions in the Opera Database shows that the Italian costume designer, who studied stage design at the Accademia di Belle Arte di Brera (Milan), where she currently teaches object design, specializes in classical operas such as George Bizet's Carmen. The designs for the next 'Carmen' production, with an ensemble that has tripled in size for the main roles, will be on display on one of the larger stages. At around 7,000 square meters, the natural stage of the open-air opera festival "Oper im Steinbruch" is the largest in Europe. It's located in the Römersteinbruch quarry in Sankt Margarethen, Burgenland, Austria. This year's festival will take place from 12 July until 20 August.
For the costume designs, the Milanese costume designer, Carla Ricotti, collaborated closely with Director Arnaud Bernard and incorporated two different time periods into the design: the mid-19th century story was placed to the 1930s in a 1950s Hollywood film studios setting. Color plays a significant role, with the 'real world' being more vibrant and realistic, while the 'film world' is predominantly black and white with blood-red accents. The challenge was to represent Spain in the costumes without depicting it as the actual setting. The costumes undergo a lengthy process, including research, collaboration with the director, and incorporating historical and character details. The production features around 300 costumes, each one custom made. Two of Ricotti's favorite costumes include one that portrays Carmen as a factory worker and another that combines masculine and feminine elements. The costumes are produced and embroidered by hand in Milan. The production also includes special stunt costumes made from a specific fabric due to fire exposure.
Image: Oper im Steinbruch has released the first images of Carla Ricotti's costume design for the title role of George Bizet's 'Carmen'. The picture shows Carmen in a white blouse and a red skirt with flounces. Joyce El-Khoury will perform as Carmen at the premiere on 12 July 2023 at the Oper im Steinbruch in St. Margarethen, Römersteinbruch, in Burgenland, Austria. Photo: © Jerzy Bin. On Instagram, the festival posted insights into the making of.
In total, this year's production of Carmen includes around 300 costumes, which were produced, tailored and in many cases embroidered by hand in Milan by the costume workshop Casa d'arte Fiore. Each costume is custom-made; 44 costumes are made for the soloists. In this week's press release, Carla Ricotti described her work on the costumes. She mentioned that two costumes have become her personal favorites. The first costume portrays Carmen as a factory worker, appearing both robust and seductive. It consists of a man's shirt, boots, socks, and a small dress with buttons as the only feminine element. The other costume she favores was a fusion of Carmen's masculine and feminine aspects. The upper part features a belt, suspenders, and a wide felt hat, while the lower part consists of a dress with Spanish accents.
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