The Art of Listening

Georges Bizet (1738-1875)

French opera had long gone its own way. From the tragédies en musique of Lully, the operas of Jean-Philippe Rameau and the Revolution as reflected in the works of Méhul, Cherubini, etc., French composers and their public had had their own take on the genre – castrati replaced by hautes-contres (high tenors), a fondness for ballet as part of the entertainment and a similar affection for the so-called opéra comique which, like the German singspiel, used the spoken word rather than recitative as a bridge between arias or ensembles.

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Born in Paris to musical parents (father a singing teacher; mother an accomplished pianist), Bizet was a brilliant student as both pianist and composer, crowning his many achievements by winning the prestigious Prix de Rome (1857).

But, after the five year grant of the prize finished, the young composer struggled to make a living, and neither of his two major pre-Carmen opera projects, Les pêcheurs de perles [The Pearl Fishers] and La jolie fille de Perth [The Fair Maid of Perth] being a great success. Nor, initially, was Carmen itself.

The theatre management, audiences and critics alike were shocked by an opera that contained a heroine who was amoral, definitely not clean-living, and worked in a cigarette factory! The opera’s premiere – on 3rd March, 1875 – was a (another) failure.

The composer understandably viewed this as a catastrophe; a psychological blow that contributed to his already failing health: Bizet died on June 1st, 1875.

After the funeral there was a memorial performance of Carmen; the critics who’d panned the work at its first performance pronounced it a work of genius.

The opera – with innumerable repeat performances – has been one the most successful in the entire operatic repertoire.

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A chance to compare performances. Firstly, Carmen herself:

Elina Grananca:

Agnes Baltsa:

Anna Caterina Antonacci:

Elina Grananca & [not singing] Roberto Alagna:

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Escamillo:
Samuel Ramey

Kostas Smoriginas (plus Barrie Kosky’s rather interesting take on the toreador!):

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Don José:
José Carreras

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Finale:
Agnes Baltsa & José Carreras

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You can watch the whole opera by clicking on:
Carmen

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