But that doesn’t mean I can ignore them entirely: Overture, Habanera, Toreador.Musically, 'Carmen' is prefaced by a short orchestral introduction, very free in form and not elaborate enough to be dignified by the title of overture. I also borrowed and watched portions of the Metropolitan Opera DVD from which the second clip above is taken. The particular recording to which I listened this week was Sir Thomas Beecham’s 1959 version with Victoria de los Angeles singing the title role and Nicolai Gedda as Don José. Here is Agnes Baltsa with José Carreras in a production from the Metropolitan Opera: In this aria, Près des remparts de Séville, she convinces him to remove her bonds, which later permits her to escape.

She has just been arrested for knifing another worker in the factory where she is employed, and Don José has been charged with guarding her.

Near the end of Act I we have the scene in which Carmen seduces Don José. Singing like this doesn’t come along every day: Bizet gives them a gorgeous duet, Ma mère, je la vois! Here it is sung by Franco Corelli and Mirella Freni. She brings him letters from home, and he reminisces about the village where he grew up. In Act I we are introduced to Don José and Micaela. Instead, let me draw attention to two other sections which appealed to me as I was listening. Since they are sufficiently well-known, and considering that the opera has numerous other worthy numbers, I will not focus on them. The most famous pieces from Carmen are undoubtedly the galloping overture, Carmen’s entrance aria (the Habanera), and the song of the Toreador. She lures him away from Micaela, drawing him into a course of action that ultimately brings them both to ruin. Carmen is a magnificent creation: a femme fatale, reckless, passionate, and beautiful. The story, set in Seville in the early 1800s, concerns a corporal, Don José, whose love for a sweet young woman, Micaela, is threatened when he falls under the spell of a seductive and dangerous gypsy woman - Carmen herself. Today it is one of the most popular operas in the repertoire.Ĭarmen is blessed not only with wonderful music, but (what is rarer in opera) also a strong libretto. It was Bizet’s final major work, and, because its 1875 premiere was a failure - the Paris audience judged, very curiously for a score that sparkles and dances as this one does, that it was too “Wagnerian” - he died thinking that it, and he, would fade into obscurity.

Prior to this week I had heard it just once, so I decided to look at it again. Bizet’s Carmenis another famous opera that I do not know well.

Carmen opera famous songs