For the first time, Simon Rattle, conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, leads what is probably the world's most popular opera: Carmen by Georges Bizet. The opera concert was staged at the Teresa Carreño Theater and performed by the  Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela,  flagship ensemble of the National System of Youth and Children's Orchestras of Venezuela.

When Simon Rattle came on stage, just a few seats (that were occupied after the intermission) remained empty.  The audience applauded him and he responded by raising his baton.

One by one, guest soloists came on stage and made of their bodies and gestures means to take the audience to a square in Seville; and by the final act, to the bull-fight arena where Escamillo, played by baritone Kostas Smoriginas, stabs the bull.

Cast included Young Wook as Zuniga; the renowned soprano Measha Brueggergosman as Micaela; Barbara Kind as broken-hearted Frasquita; Mariana Ortiz as Mercedes; Holger Marks as Dancaire; Idwer Álvarez as Le Remendado; the National Youth Chorus of Venezuela, conducted by Lourdes Sánchez; and the Venezuela Children’s Choir, whose performance captivated the audience from the moment it came on stage.

For three hours, Rattle directed the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra and helped it to make possible what he had asked it to do: to breath with the soloists and become part of a story that will take place again today, July 14, at the same venue.

After the rehearsals, the conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic declared to the local press that his work with the SBYOB was motivated by the high standard of the Venezuelan orchestra; and the staging of the opera concert Carmen was part of his commitment to support El Sistema’s orchestral academic program.