Georges Bizet wrote the opera Carmen in 1874, 150 years ago. The plot was based on the short story of the same name by Prosper Mérimée. The story of a passionate gypsy woman who loved freedom was perfect for the opera. The premiere took place at the Parisian theatre ‘Comic Opera’ on March 3, 1875. ‘Comic Opera’ tried to serve its purpose, and in 1860-1870s fun, light performances, with the obligatory spoken dialogue were staged there. A love story with a bloody ending, set against a commonplace background caused considerable confusion.

The composer changed the plot created by Mérimée. José was transformed from an outlaw into a soldier who was promoted to corporal. Micaëla, the fiancée of Jose was absent in the novel. She is only mentioned as a girl with blonde braids – in the opera, Micaëla became an important character. The role of the toreador Escamillo also acquired new features in the opera, whereas in the work of Mérimée work this character had no name. The main character was also changed; Carmen of Mérimée was cunning and unrestrained gypsy, in the work of Bizet – Carmen was an honest and brave beautiful woman. During rehearsals, the composer repeatedly changed the music for several reasons, among them the reluctance of Bizet to change the plot of the libretto by Henri Meilhac  and Ludovic Halévy, which was insisted upon by the theatre management that believed that the brutality of the murder on stage would shock the audience accustomed to traditional opera. The motley of characters, mostly ambiguous, that Mérimée introduced in his novel - gypsies, thieves, smugglers, cigar factory workers, woman of easy virtue and bullfighters - did not correspond to the family values of the ‘Comic Opera’.

A separate problem arose in the selection of the performer of the main role – many famous singers refused the role of Carmen. After several months of negotiations, the choice fell Célestine Galli-Marié, who became a performer at the premiere performance.

It all ended in the failure of the production. The shocked public created a full-grown scandal. The next day the theatre press published outraged reviews. The authors of the opera were accused of immorality. Many people considered the opera too provocative a demonstration of the then taboo topics of passion and betrayal. The creators of the brilliant work were accused of moral turpitude. Journalists pounced on Georges Bizet – they fiercely criticised the opera. But the more the newspapers were sophisticated in their critical discussions of the work, the more interest it aroused. The opera ‘Carmen’ was performed forty-five times. Everyone was in a hurry to visit the scandalous performance. After the thirty-fifth performance, the shock caused by the death of a very young composer was added. According to one version, Bizet could not survive the fiasco of ‘Carmen’ and accusations of ‘immorality’. The opera seemed obscene to the public. And in characterising the opera's protagonist, art lovers were not at all shy in their expressions – she was the true embodiment of vulgarity and filth.

The first signs of approval for the opera came after the Viennese production in October of the same year (the spoken dialogues were replaced by recitatives), which attracted the attention and approval of such masters as Johannes Brahms and Richard Wagner. The author's reputation was restored and his name glorified for centuries. Audiences truly appreciated ‘Carmen’. On October 23, 1878, the first US premiere of the work took place at the New York Academy of Music. In the same year the opera was seen by the public in St Petersburg. The opera became a classic and is still regularly staged in the world's leading theatres. The Habanera from the first act and the Toreador's March from the second act became separate concert hits. The recipe for the success of the opera Carmen is easy to figure out – it is a harmonious combination of light, memorable melodies, ultradramatic story, the deep psychology of the characters, important social themes, the struggle between male and female, an emphasis on the lives of ordinary people and shifting away from the mythological nature of opera. Few 19^th century operas can compare to this one – the world of music would be incomplete without “Carmen”.

• The first production of Carmen at the Bolshoi Theatre dates back to 1898. The libretto was brought in line with the demands of the public. The newspapers wrote about a Spanish granddess caught up in a romantic story with a noble officer from impoverished nobility

• Surprisingly, Georges Bizet had never been to Spain. To create the necessary musical atmosphere, he reworked folk melodies, giving them the desired Spanish flavor

• The famous German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck listened to the opera ‘Carmen’ 27 times

• In the Metropolitan Opera's production of Carmen in 2024, the action was moved to present-day America, and Escamillo was not a bullfighter but a rodeo master