Opera ‘Carmen’ by the French composer Georges Bizet premiered on March 3, 1875 on the stage of the Paris theatre ‘Opera-Comique’. It ended in a complete failure.

Georges Bizet's opera ‘Carmen’ is probably the most performed opera in the world. Since its unsuccessful Paris premiere in 1875, Carmen has been staged dozens of thousands of times in theatres around the world, and it still remains an important part of the opera repertoire, giving rise to new interpretations of the plot and characters. Today, this operatic work is part of the repertoire of almost all opera companies and is performed in all languages, including Japanese. Its popularity is not limited to the opera stage. ‘Carmen’ has joined the repertoire of pop music, exists in piano transcriptions and musical comedy versions, as well as in films and ballet.

By the time he wrote Carmen, Bizet was already a well-known composer. Six of his operas had been staged at the Opéra-Comique theatre. The libretto of 'Carmen' was based on the novel by Prosper Mérimée of the same name. The composer and librettists Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy reinterpreted the original plot considerably. The robber turned into a soldier, and his bride, only briefly mentioned in the original, became one of the main characters in the opera. Toreador Escamillo, a rather mediocre character in the novel by Mérimée, revealed his character on the opera stage. The cunning and unrestrained Carmen became mocking, straightforward and honest. Bizet purified the character of the heroine from petty everyday traits, emphasising her passionate love of freedom, inner sincerity and uncompromising nature. The character, having lost some of its colours, became generalised and dramatic. But the ending remained the same – tragic. And this did not fit in with the concept of the French theatre ‘Opera-Comique’. The director of the theatre, Adolphe de Leuven, who was well aware of the preferences of his audience, asked Bizet to reverse the deaths of the characters and add positive moments to the finale. But the composer answer with a plump "no". As a result, the premiere ended in scandal. The aristocratic public did not appreciate the new opera. The authors of the opera were accused of immorality and wickedness. Many considered the opera too provocative because of the taboo topics of passion and betrayal at the time. Bizet's creation was written about in all publications, talked about in secular salons. All this was the beginning of a future triumph. People discussed and scolded ‘Carmen’, but went to the theatre, since many wanted to get a first-hand account of this ‘nightmare’.

Despite the failure of the premiere, ‘Carmen’ continued to be staged at the Opera-Comique. In its first season, the opera was performed 37 times, although it did not arouse much interest among the public ­– theatre auditoriums were often half-empty, the audience was not attracted even by the free distribution of tickets. Bizet's death caused a small surge of public interest in ‘Carmen’, so in November 1875, the opera was returned to the repertoire and performed 12 more times.

The opera made a strong impression on the composer Pyotr Tchaikovsky; in the letters to his family and friends he called ‘Carmen’,  "no other than a masterpiece, which would surely become popular in ten years, and Bizet – a brilliant composer..."
Writer Ivan Turgenev called ‘Carmen‘– the most original French work since Charles Gounod's ‘Faust’.

The composer did not live long enough to see the success that awaited his "Carmen" on the world's opera stages. After the death of Georges Bizet, his friend Ernest Guiraud revised the score, completing cantillations instead of the spoken scenes.

The updated opera was successfully performed in Vienna on October 23, 1875. Since then, Carmen has usually been staged in this version. In 1876-1878, performances followed in Brussels, Budapest, London, New York and Stockholm – and everywhere ‘Carmen’ was met with applause. The Russian premiere of Carmen took place in St Petersburg in 1878, with the opera performed in Italian.

Undoubtedly, the role of Carmen is a diamond in the mezzo-soprano repertoire, as the chronology of productions, both foreign and Russian languages, demonstrate. This role has revealed the real stars of the opera stage. The part of the ‘passionate belle’ was performed by the greatest Russian opera singers, such as Irina Arkhipova, Elena Obraztsova, Galina Vishnevskaya, Tamara Sinyavskaya and others.

In the opera ‘Carmen’ we see the confrontation of two completely different worlds: the strict, patriarchal world of José, a soldier whose life is subordinated to discipline and duty, and the free, passionate world of Carmen, a Gypsy woman that recognises no limits and boundaries. José, accustomed to order and obedience, falls under the influence of Carmen's rebellious spirit, her indomitable passion and independence. His love for her becomes all-consuming, he is ready to give up everything for her, but Carmen does not want to belong to anyone. She is the embodiment of freedom.

The opera became world-famous for its harmony, perfect orchestrating, and precise conveyance of the drama through music. Since the 1890s, the opera has been repeatedly recorded on various media. We invite you to listen to the fragments from the opera ‘Carmen’ performed by the stars of the opera stage.