Georges Bizet : Carmen

GEORGES BIZET (1838-1875)
CARMEN

An opéra-comique in four acts with a libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, first performed at the Paris Opéra-Comique on 3 March 1875.

This version features the recitatives composed by Ernest Guiraud for the Vienna premiere on 23 October 1875, presented in the original 1875 staging.

Adèle Charvet · Julien Behr · Florie Valiquette · Alexandre Duhamel · Gwendoline Blondeel · Ambroisine Bré · Matthieu Walendzik · Attila Varga-Tóth · Nicolas Certenais · Halidou Nombre

Choeur & Orchestre de l’Opéra Royal
Hervé Niquet, conductor
Romain Gilbert, director
Christian Lacroix, costumes
Antoine Fontaine, sets

In a dreamlike vision of Spain, where scorching sun meets simmering tensions, Carmen embodies a magnetic, defi ant fi gure driven by one desire : to live free. Around her, hearts falter—from Don José, the
soldier consumed by obsessive love, to Escamillo, the flamboyant toreador. With Carmen, Georges Bizet created more than an opera; he composed a theatre of human passion, where romantic impulses, wounded pride, and an ominous sense of fate collide. Premiered in 1875 to a reception of near indifference, the work has since claimed its place as one of the great pinnacles of Western operatic art. This recording, brought to life by an outstanding cast and a sharply defi ned musical interpretation, captures the full modernity and emotional power of Bizet’s score—affirming Carmen as a revolutionary work that remains as vibrant and resonant as ever.

Recorded and filmed from January 14th to 22nd 2025 at the Royal Opera of the Château de Versailles. 

You may find the booklet, available in French and English, by clicking here.

You may find this recording on our online shop by clicking here.