Carmen

Carmen
Carmen is a French opera comique by Georges Bizet. The words are by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy, based on the novel under the same title by Prosper Merimee.

This novel was first published in 1845 and was influenced by the narrative poem 'The Gypsies' (1824) by Pushkin. Merimee had read the poem in Russian in 1840 and translated it into French in 1852.

The opera premiered at the Opera Comique of Paris on March 3, 1875.The opening show was a failure, according to a majority of critics. However, soon after the composer's death, the production in Vienna (October 1875) began to gain worldwide recognition.

World Famous Opera
Since the 1880s, it has become one of the world's most performed operas. Carmen appears as number four on Opera America's list of the 20 most-performed operas in North America.

Comeback of Opera-comique
With the popularity of Carmen, there was a comeback of opera-comique. For the past years, the distinction between traditional opera and opera-comique had started to fade away. The traditional opera is serious, heroic and declamatory, whereas the opera-comique is lighthearted, bourgeois and conversational with spoken dialogue.

The early death of Bizet and the negligence of his immediate heirs and publisher led, as with most of Bizet's operas, to major textual problems for which scholars and performers only began to find solutions since the 1960s.

Overview of Carmen
The story of Carmen is set in Seville, Spain, circa 1830, and concerns the eponymous Carmen, a beautiful Gypsy with a fiery temper. Free with her love, she persuades the corporal Don Jose, an inexperienced soldier. Their relationship leads to his rejection of his former love, mutiny against his superior, and joining a gang of smugglers. His jealousy when she turns from him to the bullfighter Escamillo leads him to murder Carmen.

The Making of Carmen
Camille du Locle, the artistic director of the Opera-Comique, commissioned Bizet to write an opera based on Merimee's novel in early 1873 to be premiered at the end of the year. However, difficulty in finding a leading lady delayed rehearsals until August 1874.

Bizet bought a house at Bougival on the Seine, where he finished the piano score in the summer of 1874, and took a further two months to complete a full orchestration.After approaching the singer Marie Roze, who declined the part, du Locle offered the part to the famous mezzo-soprano Galli-Marie. Financial negotiations over her fees ensued, and she accepted it in December 1873. She apparently did not know the Merimee novella.

Full rehearsals finally began in October 1874. However, much to everyones' delight, the final rehearsals seemed to convince the majority of the company of the genius of the opera.

Performance history
The first performance took place on March 3, 1875, the same day Bizet was presented with the Legion d'honneur.The premiere did not go well. Although there were curtain calls after Act I, and the entr'acte to Act II and Escamillo's song were applauded, with the exception of Micaela's aria in Act III, the Acts III and IV were greeted with silence.

The critics were sarcastic, claiming that the libretto was inappropriate for the Comique. However, a few critics praised the work for its innovation. Nevertheless, with the negative reviews, the opera struggled to make 48 performances in its first run.

Towards the end of the run, the management was giving away tickets wholesale in a vain attempt to fill the seats.Bizet did not live to see the success of his opera. He died on June 3, just after the thirtieth performance. The day before his death he signed a contract with the Viennese Imperial Opera for the production of Carmen.

Musical elements
Bizet worked on elements of Spanish music for the opera. Several pieces, especially the Seguidilla and the Gypsy Song make use of the elements of flamenco music.

Bizet used new material for each musical scene. The orchestration has been much praised and every note rests on its proper place.

Revisions
Bizet's original design of Carmen had dialogue in place of recitative. After Bizet's death, the musical community felt it would be more appreciated in the form of Grand Opera rather than opera comique. Bizet's friend Ernest Guiraud wrote recitatives for the Vienna premiere performance in 1875, which were used up until the 1960s.

Conclusion
In the years that followed, several new additions were made to Carmen. However, till this day Carmen is seen and remembered as a master piece in itself.

Watching opera is always a great choice if you want to have some great entertainment. But your fun would be doubled many grades, if you are planning to watch French opera. With your Carmen tickets you are guaranteed to have the most amazing time of your life. This superb opera comique is made by Georges Bizet and there is not match to its fame. Its libretto is given by the talented Ludovic Halevy and Henri Meilhac. From the 1845 novel of Prosper Merimee which was influenced by Alexander Pushkin's poem of 1824, The Gypsies, this opera is worth watching for all entertainment seekers. This musical is something which has the capability to blow your mind away! This stirring production is something you really don't want to miss. You will be amazed to see the story of a stunning gypsy woman named as Carmen. It's fascinating and heartbreaking music is going to keep you interested throughout the show. Be there at the show to share her demons of people in a musical trip.

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