Carmen, 1875 by Bizet
Carmen is a French opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet (1838-75), premiered in 1875 by the Opéra-Comique in Paris. Unfortunately, Bizet died suddenly, only after 33 performances of this opera. A few arias are among the most famous:
- Habanera
- Seguidilla
- Toreador Song
Whenever I heard Habanera (from act 1), I think of Denyce Graves (1964-) and Katarina Witt (1965-, mezzo-soprano): both put out the performances that were unmatched. Graves as the soprano and Witt skated to the Habanera in the 1988 Calgary Olympics (free skate portion), winning her 2nd gold medal.
A few Carmens I’ve seen:
- 2025 St. Pete
- 2024 Sarasota
- 2015 San Francisco
- 1997 Met
