The reception history of Georges Bizet's final dramatic
work, Carmen, is rife with ironies. Although almost
unanimously condemned by Parisian critics after its
first performances in 1875 for its overt sexuality and
graphic final scene, Carmen intrigued a number of
sophisticated minds and ultimately reached the public
in a way that perhaps no other opera has. Bizet's aim
in composing Carmen had been to transform the flaccid,
moralistic bourgeois genre of opéra comique into a
more sophisticated t...(+)
The reception history of Georges Bizet's final dramatic
work, Carmen, is rife with ironies. Although almost
unanimously condemned by Parisian critics after its
first performances in 1875 for its overt sexuality and
graphic final scene, Carmen intrigued a number of
sophisticated minds and ultimately reached the public
in a way that perhaps no other opera has. Bizet's aim
in composing Carmen had been to transform the flaccid,
moralistic bourgeois genre of opéra comique into a
more sophisticated type of staged work. With a libretto
by Ludovic Halévy and Henri Meilhac, Carmen survives
in no single authoritative version despite its enormous
popularity and influence. Guiraud converted the
original sections of spoken dialogue into recitative
for the 1875 Vienna performances. In recent years the
original version has made a striking comeback, and one
can argue that it is far more telling dramatically than
the traditional version with the recitatives. There is
also a popular orchestral suite drawn from the opera,
and several violin and piano fantasies on its themes
also exist. Carmen is cornerstone item in any opera
collection. It is ironic that Bizet composed one of
music's most evocative landscapes of Spain without ever
having been there.
Although originally written for Orchestra, I created
this arrangement of the "Les voici, voici la quadrille"
(March of the Toreadors) Act IV No. 2 for Flute &
Strings (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).
PARTITION