The opera Carmen was written by George Bizet and first premiered in Paris in 1875 and failed. It was not performed again in Paris until 1883. Over time it became very famous and became one of the most performed operas. Sadly, Bizet died of a heart attack at the age of thirty-six before Carmen completed his initial run; he did not enjoy his subsequent success.
The story takes place in Seville, Spain, in the mid-19th century. It is a fascinating story of passion, romance and betrayal. Don José was a brigadier in Seville engaged to his beloved Micaela. He then puts Carmen on; he couldn’t resist her; he broke up with his fiancée and abandoned his military duties. Carmen was a beautiful gypsy who worked in a cigarette factory. She was flirtatious, cunning and seduced every man who ventured near her. José fell into her clutches. He barely won her love and she went after the exciting bullfighter Escamillo. Her seduction eventually led to her tormented death by a dagger wielded by her jealous lover José while she waited outside a bullring for her new lover.
Bizet used brilliant arias to tell Carmen’s story, beginning with her singing the Habanera, which gives insight into her character. She sings that “love is a rebellious bird that no one can tame, a force of nature unrestrained and unrestrained.” In acts 2 and 4, the bullfighter’s song is sung by the bullfighter Escamillo. It is an exciting song whose lyrics speak of a fight between the brave bullfighter and the bull and the love that awaits the bullfighter after conquering him.
Act I begins with soldiers and citizens in a town square in Seville. They are circling and singing. Micaela, a young peasant woman arrives in search of her love, Don José. The soldiers taunt her and tell her that José will be there later, so he leaves to come back later. Soon, José arrives just as the cigarette factory bell rings and a group of women, including the gypsy Carmen, come out for a smoke. As expected, the soldiers flirt with the ladies and especially with Carmen. They ask her on what day she will love them. She reciprocates and also plays with them saying “maybe never, maybe tomorrow”.
Then Carmen sings the famous Habanera aria. When she notices José, she seductively throws him a flower. Soon the factory bell rings, ending the break, and the women return to work. José picks up the flower and is already delighted with Carmen. He comments on how cheeky she was to throw her flower at him. He said it was as if she had given him a bullet. He was attracted by the smell. He said, “if there are witches, she is one.”
Shortly after, Micaela returns, finds José and hands him a letter sent by her mother. Her mother asked him to marry Micaela. He greatly respects his mother and promises her fidelity and love to Micaela.
A fight soon breaks out at the cigarette factory between Carmen and another woman. The woman is injured and Carmen is arrested by officer Zúñiga. Zúñiga orders José to accompany her to the prison. So Carmen does the magic on her and tricks José into letting her get away from her. José tries to resist but her determination crumbles and he admits to Carmen that he is intoxicated with her. Carmen warns José that if she loves him, he had better be careful. José should have listened more closely to the Habanera song.
When Zúñiga discovers that José allowed Carmen to escape, José is imprisoned.
Act II opens with Carmen at Lilas Pastia’s Inn passionately and seductively singing and dancing to the song “Les tringles des sistres tintement”. After the song Carmen and her friends, Mercedes and Frasquita, chat with some soldiers and officer Zúñiga. Then someone announces that a torchlight procession is approaching and shouts: “Long live the bullfighter, long live Escamilla.” The victorious bullfighter, Escamilla, and her entourage enter the inn and celebrate with the bullfighter’s song, “Your toast, I can return it to you.” Escamilla toasts the soldiers and bullfighters who he says enjoy the fight. He describes the fight that takes place in the bullring that is packed from top to bottom. The crowd is wild with excitement and a huge crash begins. The screaming and commotion reach the point of fury; it is a celebration of courage. They call for the battle to begin, “On guard! Come on! Ah! Toreador, Toreador, Toreador!” Escamilla continues and says that he is suddenly quiet. Then the bull jumps out of the bullpen. He enters the ring, hits, rolls a horse and knocks down a picador. The crowd roars! Oh well done! Bull! The bull goes back and strikes again. He angrily shakes his dart-pierced neck and runs again. The arena is full of blood! Bullfighter, on guard! Bullfighter, bullfighter! The song ends with “love awaits the bullfighter. Love! Love! Love! Bullfighter, bullfighter, love awaits you!” While singing the song, Escamilo sees Carmen and tries to capture her heart. But she is cunning and puts him off. And now even Escamilla lets himself be influenced.
Carmen does the same with Officer Zúñiga, who tells her that he will return to the inn to see her later. But she is more interested in seeing Don José when he gets out of prison.
When everyone has left the inn, the smugglers Dancairo and Remendado seek the help of Carmen and her two friends, Mercedes and Frasquita. They agree but Carmen refuses since she awaits José’s release from prison.
When José arrives, Carmen dances for him, but is interrupted when a distant bugle sounds and José needs to return home. Carmen teases him trying to persuade him to stay with her. Jose resists. Then Zúñiga returns to the inn looking for Carmen. Zúñiga orders José to leave, but in a fit of jealousy, José defies Zúñiga’s orders. Dancairo and Mended approach Zúñiga and take him out of the inn. After all this, José feels that he has no choice but to stay at the inn with Carmen.
Act III finds a dark and depressing scene. José is at the smugglers’ hideout in the mountains, where he remembers his dear mother back home. At this point, Carmen no longer loves José and begins to tease him into leaving. José stays with her because he is hopelessly in love with her.
Mercedes and Frasquita use a deck of cards to guess their luck. The letters reveal a life of wealth, love and luxury for them, but as for Carmen and José, it reveals death.
After making plains, the smugglers and the girls leave, while José keeps an eye on the hideout. Soon, Micaela, assisted by a guide, arrives at the mountain hideout, but she quickly hides behind a mound of rocks when she hears a distant shot from Escamillo. Escamillo enters and begins to tell Don José about his crush on Carmen. And he laughs at his relationship with a soldier. He doesn’t know that Joseph is the target of his story. José gets angry and fights with Escamillo. Immediately, the smugglers return just before the fight gets worse. Escamillo invites Carmen and the others to his next bullfight when he comes out of hiding.
Micaela finally comes out of hiding and tries to convince José to return home during her “I mean, nothing scares me” aria. She finally convinces him to leave by telling him that his beloved mother is dying. José promises Carmen that he will return and leaves with Micaela. In the distance, Escamillo is heard singing, which captures Carmen’s attention, attracting her that way.
Act IV is tragic and opens with the procession of the bullfighters with Carmen and Escamillo arriving together. She tells Escamillo that she has always loved him and he replies the same. Mercedes and Frasquita warn Carmen that she be careful that she doesn’t stay there because José is hiding in the crowd. Carmen tries to calm her fears and assure them that she is not afraid of him. When Escamillo goes up to the bullring, a disheveled José approaches Carmen outside the ring. He says that he is willing to forget the past and asks her to start a new life with him away from there. She rejected him; it was not impossible; Free was born and free will remain. José suddenly realizes that she never loved him; they took him for a fool. He takes the ring off his finger and throws it on the ground. Now completely beside himself, José stabs Carmen through the heart with a dagger. She dies simultaneously with Escamillo’s victory in the ring. As the crowd leaves the arena, José confesses to his crime. His last words are: “My beloved Carmen.” Poor José should have heeded Carmen’s early warning to be careful with her. But love blinded him.
Carmen has seduced audiences for over 150 years and they still love her. It is not a new story; it has been played in real human lives countless times. The book of Ecclesiastes reminds us that, “There is nothing new under the sun, … what is to be, has already been.”
