Carmen
- For other uses, see Carmen (disambiguation)
Carmen is a French opera by Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Meilhac and Halévy, based on the novel by Prosper Mérimée.
The opera was premiered at the Opéra Comique of Paris on March 3, 1875. For a year after its premiere, it was considered a failure; denounced by critics as 'immoral' and 'superficial'. Today, it is one of the world's most popular operas[1].
The story concerns the eponymous Carmen, a beautiful gypsy with a fiery temper. Indiscriminate in her love, she is responsible for the downfall of many men. She woos the corporal Don José, leading him to mutiny against his superior. His infatuation causes him to join a band of smugglers of which Carmen is a member. He is happy with Carmen for a brief period, but is driven to madness when she turns from him to the bullfighter Escamillo.
Several well-known pieces from this opera have taken on a life separate to the work: the Prelude, the Toreador Song, and the Habanera.
History
Du Locle, the artistic director of the Opéra-Comique commissioned Bizet to write an opera based on the Mérimée's novel in early 1873 to be premiered at the end of the year. However, difficulty in finding a leading lady meant that rehearsals did not begin until August 1874. Bizet bought a house at Bougival on the Seine, where he finished in the piano score in the summer of 1874. It took him a further two months to complete the orchestration. The difficultly in casting the title role was caused by the scandal that erupted when the libretto was published. The artistic community universally condemned the story, denouncing it as 'immoral'. The scandal led at least one famous singer to refuse the part; however, the famous mezzo-soprano Galli-Marié accepted it in December without seeing the score. During rehearsals Du Locle's assistant De Leuven voiced his discontent on the subject of the opera, and pressured Bizet and librettists to change the ending. De Leuven felt that families (who were a large source of revenue for the Comique) would not dare to go to see such a 'debauched' opera. The librettists resigned to change the ending, but Bizet refused, which led to De Leuven's resignation in early 1874. Full rehearsals finally began in October, and went for an unprecedented five months. The Comique's orchestra declared the score unplayable, and the cast were having difficulty following Bizet's directions. However, the greatest opposition came from Du Locle[2], who liked Bizet personally, but hated the opera. By this stage, the Comique was in dire financial difficulties, and Du Locle felt that the opera would topple the ailing company, which had failed to produce a hit since Gounod's Faust. The librettists, for whom Carmen was a sideshow, secretly tried to induce the singers to overdramatise in order to lessen the impact of the work. Luckily for Bizet, the final rehearsals seemed to convince the majority of the company to the genius of the opera.
The first performance took place on March 3, the same day Bizet was presented with the Legion of Honor. The four principles were:
- Galli-Marié as Carmen
- Lhérie as Don José
- Bouhy as Escamillo
- Mlle. Chapay as Micaela
The premiere did not go well, as recorded Halévy's diary. Act I was fairly well received and the entr'acte to Act II was applauded. However, with the exception of Micaela's aria in Act III, silence greeted the final acts. The critics were scathing, labelling the libretto inappropriate for the Comique. It was condemned by the musical community for following Wagner in placing the orchestra higher than the voices in importance. However, a few critics, such as the poet Théodore de Banville, praised the work for its innovation. Banville wrote that the characters in Carmen were more realistic than those normally at the Comqiue, which were heavily caricatured. Unfortunately, the negative reviews caused the opera to only have 48 performances in the first year. Towards the end of its run at the Comique, the management was selling tickets wholesale in a vain attempt to make a profit. The failure temporarily made Galli-Marié unemployable until the opera was realized as a masterpiece.
Bizet did not live to see the success of his opera. On June 3, he died just after the thirtieth performance of Carmen. Over the past century it has become a staple of the Standard Operatic Repetoire. Despite the title role being written for Mezzo-soprano, many famous sopranos have played and recorded the role, causing much debate over the best vocal type for the role. However, it is obvious that it takes a special singer to play Carmen. Not only must she have the right voice, but also superior dramatic skills in order to convince an audience.
Synopsis
Setting: Seville, Spain c. 1830
Act I
A beautiful square in Seville with bridge. Morales and the soldiers are on guard, very bored (No.1). Micaëla appears seeking José, her fiancé, but is accosted by the impudent soldiers who desire her company, causing her to run away (No.2). As José approaches with the new guard, he and the soldiers are imitated by the street-children (No.3). The cigarette girls emerge from the factory, greeted by their men (No.4). Carmen appears, wooed by all, (No.5). When asked to choose a lover, she throws a flower in front of José (No.6). José is temporarily transfixed until Micaëla brings him a letter and greeting from his mother (No.7). As soon as she leaves, screams are heard from the factory and the women run out, singing chaotically. Don José and his superior, Zuniga find that Carmen has been fighting with another woman, and slashed her face with a knife (No.8). Zuniga attempts to interrogate Carmen who impudently sings a folk song, ignoring him (No.9). Zuniga instructs José to arrest her, and escort her to the gaol. Carmen seduces José with a Seguidilla (No.10), and convinces José to let her escape (No.11).
Act II
Evening at Lillas Pastia's inn, frequented by smugglers. Carmen and her friends Frasquita and Mercedes sing and dance (No.12). Zuniga attempts to woo Carmen, but she can only think of José. The Matador Escamillo is greeted with great enthusiasm by the patrons (No.13). He sings the Toreador song (No.14) and also attempts to woo Carmen. The smugglers Dancairo and Remendado discuss plans with Carmen and her gypsy friends (No.15). Carmen refuses to accompany them, for she only can think of José. José arrives (No.16) and is forced to join the smugglers by Dancairo and Remendado. He and Carmen are left alone, and she vexes him with stories of her dancing. She dances for him alone (No.17), and he pledges his devotion to her in the Flower Song. Surprised by Zuniga, he draws his sword upon his superior officer; the lieutenant is disarmed by the smugglers and José is forced to fly with Carmen (No.18).
Act III
A rocky gorge, where the smugglers ply their trade. José arrives with the smugglers (No.19), but Carmen loves him no longer. Her inconstant heart now turns to Escamillo. Carmen, Frasquita and Mercedes card read (No.20). The smugglers plan their actions (No.21). Frasquita and Mercedes forsee wealth and luxury, however, Carmen's forsee death for her and José. A fight between José and Escamillo over Carmen is narrowly averted by the smugglers (No.22). Micaëla arrives (No.23) and tells José that his mother is dying, and with threats to Carmen he leaves the band (No.24).
Act IV
A square before the arena at Seville. The general populace prepare for the bull fight (No.25) and they see the cuadrilla arrive (No.26). Carmen promises herself to Escamillo if he returns victorious. As she is entering the arena she is confronted by the pale and despairing José (No.27). For the last time he demands her love and fidelity. When she throws back the ring that he gave her, he stabs her to the heart and she dies at the moment that the victorious Escamillo arrives upon the scene. José, completely broken, confesses his action to all.
Dramatic Elements
Template:Spoiler Carmen was extremely innovative in its drama: no longer was French Opera confined to one-dimensional comic characters. The two lead characters in the work are some of the most profound in all operatic literature. The descent of Don José from a faithful lover and soldier to an obsessed lunatic is wonderfully protrayed through both music and libretto. The music also ensures that Carmen does not become a destructive figure like Elektra or Lulu: she does not chase men, they run after her[3]. Because Bizet shied away from the traditional image of a operatic femme-fatale, Carmen became a difficult character to understnad. She is fatalistic and hedonistic, living entirely in the present moment. Her beauty unintentionally entraps men, who then led to their downfall. Carmen's character is best explained in the card playing scene (No.20), in which she accepts the premonition of death as unavoidable. José is ill-suited to Carmen's whims, desiring constancy in the form of fidelity. Upon hearing that Carmen danced for the men in Act II, he becomes greatly distressed. The inconstancy of her character is anarchy to José, and being a soldier, he removes it.
Carmen and José have three duets, which represent three stages of their relationship. The first in Act I is the seduction, the second is Act II is the conflict, and the last in Act IV is the tragic resolution. Musically, the duets are not in the style of the traditional French or Italian duets, where two voices become one. They show the incompatibility of Carmen and José, as they almost never sing together.
The supporting characters, Micaela and Escamillo, are not as developed as the two protagonists, and are used to reflect upon the leads. Micaela represents José’s naïve past, whereas Escamillo represents Carmen's exciting future. Micaela is from Gounod's lyric operas, whereas Escamillo is from the traditional opera buffa. Micaela has a slight aria in Act III which shows her significance in the story is not great: she was created to be Carmen's opposite. Escamillo has the most well-known song in the score. Bizet knew that the song would be popular, but he secretly despised it, saying “They want their trash, and will get it”.
Musical Elements
When asked if he would visit Spain to research his score, Bizet replied "No, that would only confuse me." Bizet elegantly works elements of Spanish music into the score, though keeping the music obviously French. However, several pieces, especially the Seguidilla (No.10) and the Gypsy Song (No.12) make great use of the elements of flamenco music. Also, the Act IV entr'acte seems to be influenced by a Spanish song by Manuel Garcia, incorporating elements of gypsy music.
Bizet worked several popular Spanish songs directly into the score. These include El arreglito sung by José in Act II (No.16), and the folk-song Carmen impudently sings when interrogated by Zuniga; both written by Iradier. The habanera (No.5) was written to replace an aria that Galli-Marié disliked, and was also based on the melody of a song by Iradier.[4]
Bizet uses a very slight leitmotif system, preferring to use new material for each scene. There are two motifs associated with Carmen. The first is Carmen Fate motif, (No.1a) and owes its augmented 2nds to Spanish Music. It is ominously heard directly after the Prelude, and predetermines the ending of the opera. It is heard in this form when Carmen chooses José as her lover (No.6), at the beginning of the Flower Song (No.17), and during the opera’s final moments (No.27). It is also heard in a sped up form, first heard at the entrance of Carmen. This theme is more often heard in the strings, and is used when the slower version would stop the flow of the music. It is notably heard during the card playing scene (No.20).
The other theme associated with Carmen represents her influence over José. It heard after José is chosen as Carmen’s lover (No.6), and when Carmen is taken away by the police to José and Zuniga. This soaring theme is, like Carmen, both beautiful and tragic. In a sequence cut from the original edition, placed in the frenzied chorus of women in Act I, the two themes are played counterpunctually.
Dialogue versus Recitative
Bizet’s original design of Carmen had dialogue in place of recitative. When the opera became popular, the musical community felt it would be more appreciated in the form of Grand Opera rather than Comic Opera. Bizet’s friend Ernest Guiraud wrote recitatives for the Vienna premiere performance in 1875, that were used up until the 1960s. They are today seen as damaging to the work as a whole. The recitatives destroyed Bizet’s careful pacing, and disrupted the process of characterization significantly. A new edition in 1964 edited by Fritz Oeser claimed to have restored Bizet’s original vision by including material previously cut from the premiere as well as restoring the dialogue. Unfortunately, Oeser did not realise that a great deal was cut by Bizet himself, and subsequently included several sections that were not required. He also made great changes to the stage directions and rewrote some of the libretto. Today, the only adequate score is a vocal score by Bizet himself, published in 1875. There is still no accurate full score, and each production is judged on the skills of the conductor in choosing a score.
Characters
As listed in the New Grove Dictionary of Opera.
- Carmen, a gypsy (Mezzo-soprano)
- Don José, a corporal (Tenor)
- Escamillo, a bullfighter (Bass/Baritone)
- Micaëla, a country girl (Soprano)
- Zuniga, a lieutenant (Bass)
- Moralés, a corporal (Baritone)
- Frasquita and Mercedes, gypsies (sopranos)
- Lillas Pastia, an inkeeper (spoken, only present in dialogue version)
- Andrés, a lieutenant (Tenor)
- Le Dancaïro and Le Remendado, smugglers (tenor and baritone, respectively)
- A Gypsy (Tenor)
- A Guide (Bass)
- An Orange Seller (contralto)
- A Soldier (spoken)
- The Alcalde (silent)
- Soldiers, young men, cigarette factory girls, Escamillo's supporters, gypsies, merchants and orange sellers, police, bullfighters, peoples, urchins.
Musical Pieces
Main Article: Music of Carmen
The more popular pieces from the opera include:
- The Prelude
- Avec la garde montante (Chorus - With the guard on duty going); Chorus of street-boys
- L'amour est un oiseau rebelle (Habanera - Love is like a rebellious bird); Carmen
- Parlemoi de ma mère! (Duet - Tell me, what of my mother?); Don José and Micaela.
- Près des remparts de Séville (Seguidilla - Near to the walls of Sevilla); Carmen, Don José.
- Les tingles de sisters tintaient (Gypsy Song - The sound of sistrumbars did greet); Carmen, Frasquita, Mercedes.
- Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre (Toreador Song - For a toast, you own will avail me); Escamillo
- Je vais danser en votre honneur (Duet - Now I shall dance for your reward); Don José, Carmen.
- Including the popular tenor piece La fleur que tu m'avais jetéte (This flower that you threw to me)
- Mêlons!, Coupons! (Trio - Shuffle! Cut them!); Frasquita, Mercedes, Carmen.
- Les voici la quadrille! (Chorus and March - Here comes the cuadrilla!); Chorus of children, men, and women.
- C'est toi! C'est moi! (Duet and finale - It is thou? It is I!); Carmen, Don José
Recordings
| Year | Carmen | José | Conductor | Orchestra | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Victoria de Los Angeles | Nicolai Gedda | Sir Thomas Beecham | French National Radio Orchestra | Recitative |
| 1964 | Maria Callas | Nicolai Gedda | Georges Prêtre | Orchestre de Théâtre National de l'Opéra de Paris | Recitative |
| 1964 | Leontyne Price | Franco Corelli | Herbert von Karajan | Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra | Recitative |
| 1973 | Marilyn Horne | James McCracken | Leonard Bernstein | Metropolitan Opera Orchestra | Dialogue |
| 1975 | Tatiana Troyanos | Placido Domingo | Sir Georg Solti | London Philharmonic Orchestra | Dialogue |
| 1977 | Teresa Berganza | Placido Domingo | Claudio Abbado | London Symphony Orchestra | Dialogue |
| 2003 | Angela Gheorghiu | Roberto Alagna | Michel Plasson | Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse | Recitative |
Adaptations
Fantasies
A number of classical composers have used themes from Carmen as the basis for works of their own. Some of these, such as Pablo de Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy (1883) for violin and orchestra, Franz Waxman's Carmen Fantasie for violin and orchestra and Vladimir Horowitz's Variations on a theme from Carmen for solo piano are virtuoso showpieces in the tradition of fantasias on operatic themes. Ferruccio Busoni wrote a Sonatina (No.6) for piano named Fantasia da camera super Carmen (1920), which uses themes from the opera. There are also two suites of music drawn directly from Bizet's opera, often recorded and performed in orchestral concerts.
Film
In 1915, Cecil B. DeMille directed a 59-minute silent film version of the opera. In the United States, it was adapted into an African-American setting as Carmen Jones, which was a success both as a stage production and as a feature film. In 1983, Jean-Luc Godard directed another film version, Prénom Carmen.
In 1984 a film version was produced. This motion picture stars Julia Migenes as Carmen, Placido Domingo as her scorned lover, Don Jose, with Lorin Maazel conducting the Orchestre National de France. The powerful cast and traditional direction made it popular with audiences. It was first film version to use Bizet's spoken dialogues in place of the recitatives.
MTV also made a version, Carmen: A Hip Hopera, starring Beyoncé Knowles as Carmen.
A recent adaptation was U-Carmen e-Khayelitsha (2005), set in Khayelitsha, South Africa; and sung in Xhosa. The film received the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival.
Other
Rodion Shchedrin wrote a Carmen ballet (1967) directly based on the opera.
In Dance Dance Revolution: Mario Mix, one of the songs is a remix of Carmen.
Media
Notes
References
-
{{cite book}}: Empty citation (help) -
{{cite book}}: Empty citation (help) - . ISBN 1858686288.
{{cite book}}: Missing or empty|title=(help); Unknown parameter|Author=ignored (|author=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|Chapter=ignored (|chapter=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|Editor=ignored (|editor=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|Publisher=ignored (|publisher=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|Title=ignored (|title=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|Year=ignored (|year=suggested) (help) - . ISBN 3829035713.
{{cite book}}: Missing or empty|title=(help); Unknown parameter|Author=ignored (|author=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|Publisher=ignored (|publisher=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|Title=ignored (|title=suggested) (help); Unknown parameter|Year=ignored (|year=suggested) (help)
External links
- Full opera and English translation from the Aria Database.
- Carmen at Project Gutenberg
- Full Piano Score with notes