Carmen (Overture Opera Guides)

A complete guide to one of the most enduringly popular of all operas This guide has articles which describe the genesis of the opera, its initial failure at its premiere, and the various versions in which it went on to conquer the opera stages of Europe and the U.S. There are also articles which analyze its appeal, which explore its music, and which detail its extensive performance history. The guide has 16 pages of illustrations, a musical thematic guide, the full libretto and English translation (in both the dialogue and recitative versions), a discography, bibliography, and website guides. Carmen is one of the most enduringly popular of all operas, and the most successful of Georges Bizet's works. Following its premiere at the Opéra-Comique in Paris in 1875, it has gone on to be performed at all the major opera houses of the world. With its searing depiction of passion, obsession and jealousy, it has never lost its hold on the opera-going public. In this guide, Richard Langham Smith explores the development of the opera from Prosper Mérimée's novella and includes a detailed discussion of its music. Lesley A. Wright places Carmen in the context of its challenge to the prevailing traditions of the Opéra-Comique in Paris, and George Hall examines the opera's extensive performance history and the developing interpretations that singers and directors have brought to it. Gary Kahn gives examples of some of the many distinguished admirers that the work attracted from its very earliest performances. Contains: Carmen: From Mérimée to Bizet, Richard Langham Smith Carmen and the Opéra-Comique, Lesley A. Wright A Selective Performance History, George Hall Carmen's Early Lovers, Gary Kahn Sources and Editions, Richard Langham Smith Carmen: Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy after the novella by Prosper Mérimée Carmen: English translation by Richard Langham Smith Contents List of Illustrations Carmen: From Mérimée to Bizet Carmen and the Opéra-Comique A Selective Performance History Carmen's Early Lovers Sources and Editions Thematic Guide Carmen Select Discography Carmen on DVD: a selection Select Bibliography Bizet Websites* Note on the Contributors Acknowledgements