Free stream tonight: Carmen in her original provocative form

The first Parisian audiences at the Opéra Comique were supposedly shocked to see the incarnation of such an independent heroine. But what did those audiences in 1875 actually see on stage?  With the support of Palazzetto Bru Zane (Centre de Musique Romantique Française), Opéra de Rouen Normandie have (re)created  Bizet’s Carmen with the original costumes, sets and staging of the 1875 premiere. It has been a long journey for Carmen, the French opera that has now become the one most performed around the globe. After the outrage at the première and Bizet’s sudden death in the same year, Carmen started to win the hearts of audiences in Vienna, Brussels, Saint-Petersburg, New York… and only triumphed in Paris in 1883. This production, brought to you by Slippedisc, courtesy of OperaVision, offers the restoration of the original mise-en-scène, costumes and sets, to give audiences today an idea of what Bizet’s searing depiction of a woman, who craves love but creates obsession, looked like in its early days.

Conducted by Ben Glassberg and directed by Romain Gilbert.  Carmen is sung by Deepa Johnny, Don José by Stanislas de Barbeyrac and Escamillo by Nicolas Courjal.

Sung in French with subtitles in  English, French, Italian and German.

The Plot:  among Seville’s cigar makers, Carmen is the most attractive woman around. Arrested for the assault of a friend, she enthrals the brigadier Don José who lets her escape. For her, José abandons his childhood sweetheart, he gives up his rank, deserts the army… and to what ends will passion drive him when he loses Carmen’s love to the glamorous bullfighter Escamillo?

Streamed on Friday 10th January 2025 at 1900  CET  / 1800 London   /  1300  New York