All of Seville will be a stage in this 'Carmen'

Originally, each act was to have been performed at a different location, but Saura decided to simplify the production. Acts 1 and 2 will be presented on an outdoor stage in the Plaza España, Act 3 shifts to the Maria Louisa Park, and the final act takes place in Seville's Royal Maestranza bullring.

Saura says he wants to present the opera as a slice of life in Seville, representing typical inhabitants of 18th and 19th centuries.

In the opera, Carmen falls in love with Don José, a soldier. But the flirtatious Carmen soon tires of Don José and leaves him for a bullfighter named Escamillo. The drama climaxes in front of the bullring when Don José kills Carmen. In Saura's version, however, the smitten soldier kills the heroine in the bullring, an act that reflects the ritual of the bullfight.

"We are very fortunate to have a chance to perform the last act at Maestranza, which is the cathedral of bullfighting. It is the most beautiful bullring in Spain," says Saura, who was nominated for an Oscar for his 1983 film "Carmen."

Michael Ecker is no stranger to grand projects. In 1998, the Viennese impresario produced Giacomo Puccini's opera "Turandot" in the Forbidden City in Beijing, with Zubin Mehta conducting and Zhang Yimou directing the production. Next year, he plans to produce "Fidelio" in the ruins of the ancient city of Italica, near Seville.

But this latest "Carmen" may prove to be his most spectacular brainchild. A towering figure at 6 foot. 3 inches, Ecker has brought Seville under his sway and won over its politicians and artistic community.

"In Andalusia the audience will not only rediscover the tragic love story of Prosper Merimée's novel, but will also fall under the spell of this fascinating city," he says.

To that end, the impresario has also brought together an impressive team of experts. Vittorio Storaro, winner of three Oscars for best photography, will design the lighting. Japanese lighting architect Motoko Ishii will create the lighting for the public areas, and Wolfgang Fritz - sound engineer of the Vienna Opera and the Bregenz Festival - will be in charge of acoustics.

If all goes according to plan, the collaboration will result in a production of Cecil B. DeMille proportions.

The audience will stroll through Seville between acts. The largest distance is between the third and fourth acts. A two-hour intermission will allow operagoers plenty of time to reach the bullring and to frequent bars set up along the city's Quadalquivir River, where traditional drinks and tapas (small snacks made up of local specialities) will be served.

The opera is scheduled to begin at sunset and end seven hours later. "The people who come to this opera will be coming to a once in a lifetime event," says Ecker. "It will be something they will never forget."

• Festival tickets are available in three-day packages through the festival's website: www.carmeninseville.com.

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