GEORGES BIZET
CARMEN
CONTENTS
P.
4
SYNOPSIS P.
10
HEARING ANEW WHAT ONE HAS HEARD MANY TIMES ANDRÉS OROZCO-ESTRADA P.
14
AT THE BORDER ANN-CHRISTINE MECKE
P.
18
LEAVING THE MILITARY PROSPER MÉRIMÉE P.
22
GARCIA’S DEATH PROSPER MÉRIMÉE P.
26
A FAIRLY CONSISTENT SUCCESS ANDREAS LÁNG P.
34
IMPRINT
GEORGES BIZET
CARMEN OPÉRA COMIQUE in four acts Libretto HENRI MEILHAC & LUDOVIC HALÉVY after the eponymous novella by PROSPER MÉRIMÉE
ORCHESTRA
STAGE MUSIC
2 flutes (both doubling piccolo) 2 oboes (2nd doubling cor anglais) 2 clarinets / 2 bassoons 4 horns / 2 cornets 3 trombones / timpani percussion / harp violin I / violin II viola / cello / double bass 2 cornets / 3 trombones
AUTOGRAPH Manuscript Département de la Musique Bibliothèque Nationale de France WORLD PREMIÈRE 3 MARCH 1875 Opéra-Comique Paris PREMIÈRE AT THE HOUSE ON THE RING 23 OCT 1875 Vienna Court Opera DURATION
3H
INCL. 1 INTERMISSION
CARMEN
SYNOPSIS ACT 1 Under the command of their corporal Moralès, soldiers are on guard duty outside a cigarette factory in the South of Spain. Micaëla, a young woman from the Basque region, is looking for a man she grew up with, Don José. He is not on duty. When the soldiers start to scare her by making strong advances, she runs away. After the changing of the guard, as José goes on duty, the cigarette factory employees take a long break. The female workers enter the square – watched enthusiastically by the men. The woman most eagerly awaited is Carmen. She arrives and sings a song about the unpredictability and uncontrollability of love. At the end, she throws a flower to José. Micaëla gives José a letter and tells him, that his mother has also instructed her to give José a kiss for her. José is moved and confused about this surprising recollection of his past life. The female workers alarm the guarding soldiers: during a fight Carmen has injured one of her co-workers. During questioning by the lieutenant Zuniga, Carmen answers provocatively. José is ordered to guard and keep a watch on Carmen. By flirting and the promise of possibly meeting her later at Lillas Pastia’s bar, Carmen makes José neglect his duties. Carmen is able to escape.
Previous pages: YTA MORENO as LILLAS PASTIA
4
SYNOPSIS
ACT 2 On the outskirts of the city, Lillas Pastia hosts an improvised bar in which Zuniga and Moralès are guests entertained by Frasquita and Mercédès. Carmen sings a stimulating song. Accompanied by celebrating soldiers, the bullfighter Escamillo then arrives. After being cheered and acclaimed, he moves on with his entourage. The smugglers Dancaïre and Remendado suggest to the women a potential criminal maneuver in which their feminine charms are particularly required. Frasquita and Mercédès accept and join them, but Carmen declines. She is in love with José and chooses to wait for him. José was sentenced to two months in prison because of Carmen’s escape, but today he can finally see her again. Unfortunately, after a short time, the last post trumpet call is heard and Carmen is infuriated that José wants to follow the call and return obediently to the barracks. The argument escalates. At the moment José finally decides to leave, lieutenant Zuniga returns to the bar, who has likewise thrown a glance at Carmen. José defends her aggressively. As José and Zuniga fight each other, the smugglers return and dispatch the lieutenant. Since José has now ignored the last trumpet call and attacked his superior officer, there is no way back and he has no choice but to lead a life as a member of the smugglers’ gang.
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