вЂ“ The original casting of the title role was a bit of a headache вЂ“ the singer first approached turned down it down after learning she would have to die on stage! In the end, the role was sung by CГ©lestine Galli-MariГ©, who was an invaluable ally to Bizet during the stormy rehearsal process. вЂ“ While it outraged the public, many composers at the time appreciated Carmen for its genius вЂ“ Brahms apparently saw the opera twenty times and said he would have вЂњgone to the ends of the earth to embrace BizetвЂќ, while Tchaikovsky wrote that вЂњ Carmen is a masterpieceвЂ¦ one of those rare creations which expresses the efforts of a whole musical epoch.вЂќ вЂ“ Bizet had never actually been to Spain when he wrote Carmen! And yet his opera has become the definitive idea of Seville.

Today, nearly 150 years later, Carmen is THE most frequently performed opera worldwide. Appetite for this eternally provocative piece has never dimmed. The opera was, however, much better received in Vienna later that year, and from there its popularity spread like wildfire, premiering in Brussels, London, Barcelona, New York, St Petersburg and more over the next three years. The audience was shocked by itsВ blatant sexuality, on-stage murder, portrayal of crime, and above all its unconventional heroine, who was most definitely not a woman of virtue (pretty much everything, then)! It was a fairly radical choice for a subject, and was divisive from the off вЂ“ joint director of the OpГ©ra-Comique Adolphe de Leuven thought it was far too risquГ© a story for his family-friendly theatre, and ended up resigning.Д¬ontroversy continued into rehearsals вЂ“ the chorus complained that they had to actually act (and fight!) onstage rather than just standing in line, and the orchestra found some parts of the score unplayable.Д¬armen finally premiered in March 1875, but did not go down well. The opera is based on Prosper MГ©rimГ©eвЂ™s 1845 novella Carmen, which was inspired by scandalous tales about the Roma people that the author heard while traveling in Spain. Listen out for the recurring fate motif with its ominous bass drum thumps, foreshadowing CarmenвЂ™s deathвЂ¦ вЂ¦not to mention the whirling Chanson BohГЁme, Don JosГ©вЂ™s heart-wrenching Flower Song (a favourite tenor aria) and the high-energy PrГ©lude, which brings some of these themes together!Д«ut as well as cracking sing-along melodies, Carmen is also known for vividly painting the emotions of the characters in the music. вЂ“ Toreador Song or вЂVotre toastвЂ™, a real crowd pleaser as Escamillo describes fame and victory in the ring, and the Chorus join in. вЂ“ The Seguidilla or вЂPrГЁs des remparts de SГ©villeвЂ™, in which Carmen sings about a night of passion with an unknown lover, seducing Don JosГ©. However, his habanera turned out to be based not on a genuine folk melody as he had believed, but a much more recent cabaret song! Bizet wanted the score to have an authentic Spanish flavour. The habanera was a dance brought back to Spain from Cuba, characterised by a repeated dotted rhythm. вЂ“ The Habanera or вЂLвЂ™amour est un oiseau rebelleвЂ™ (Love Is a Rebellious Bird), CarmenвЂ™s sultry entrance aria.

While she and the other dancers (played by the ladies of the Chorus) perform sexy cigarette and gypsy-inspired numbers, in their dressing room hide the gritty realities of life вЂ“ including the children they work to support.Д¬armen longs to show Don JosГ© the real вЂherвЂ™, but is he smitten with Carmen the woman, or just вЂCarmencitaвЂ™ the act? And can there be an escape from this life for her вЂ“ with him, with the glamorous Escamillo (here a rodeo star), or is she fated to die?Д¬armen features some of the most famous music in all opera. Set in a burlesque club run by Lillas Pastia (played by performance artist Nando Messias), Carmen is the star attraction вЂ“ but her вЂfemme fataleвЂ™ image is merely a performance to please the men who frequent the bar. This new production by director Edward DickВ (of our Tosca, 2018) turns the idea of CarmenВ вЂ“ an opera by a man, based on a book by a man, about the downfall of a man вЂ“В on its head, to look at the story from the point of view of a woman struggling to survive in a toxic, male-dominated environment.

Carmen composer