Carmen Background Information

Carmen is a French opera of Georges Bizet on the libretto of Meilhac and Halévy. It is based on the story of the same title written by Prosper Mérimée. In early 1873, the artistic director of Opéra Comique, Camille du Locle, appointed Bizet to compose an opera based on Mérimée's novel.

The opera was to have its premiere at the end of the year. However, they had difficulty in casting the leading lady so that the rehearsals did not start until August 1874. During this project, Bizet bought a house in Bougival, where he finished the piano score. He was able to finish the opera after two more months. In October, full rehearsals were begun, which went on for five months. The Comique's orchestra said that the score was unplayable. The cast found it difficult to follow Bizet's instructions. Yet the greatest opposition was voiced out by du Locle, who hated the opera. The Comique during this time was suffering financial problems, and du Locle was convinced that the opera would bring the Comique down.

Carmen premiered on March 3, 1875 at the Opéra Comique of Paris. Though this was the same day that Bizet was presented with the Légion d'honneur, the opera was not a success, and on the year of its premiere, critics branded it “immoral” and “superficial.” Acts II, III, and IV were said to have not received applause from the audience. Because of these negative reviews, the opera was performed only 48 times in its first year. Bizet died on June 3 and did not see his opera rise to success. Today, however, Carmen is considered to be one of the world's most popular operas. It ranks fourth on Opera America's list of the 20 most performed operas in North America. In addition, many classical composers have based their works on themes from Carmen.