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Deutsche Oper Berlin, © Photo: Leo Seidel
Deutsche Oper Berlin: Carmen
Berlin, Deutsche Oper Berlin — Main stage
About the Event
Immerse yourself in the stunning architecture of Berlin's breathtaking Deutsche Oper Berlin for the ultimate concert set to awake your understanding of opera. Opera in four acts. Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy after the novella by Prosper Mérimée. World premiere on March 3, 1875 in Paris. Premiere at the Deutsche Oper Berlin on January 20, 2018.
'Carmen' is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet, based on Prosper Merimee’s novella of the same name. Written in the opera comique tradition, musical movements are interrupted by spoken dialogue. When it premiered at the Opera‐Comique in 1875, this groundbreaking opera shocked a public unready for its realism, and unused to seeing the lives of the lower classes being shown on stage. However, within ten years the tragic and passionate 'Carmen' had taken its place at the centre of the operatic canon, forming a bridge between opera comique and the fast‐emerging verismo style.
Act 1
Seville, Spain. The provocative gypsy, Carmen, works in the cigarette factory. When the women take their break, Carmen sings a ‘Habanera’ attracting the attention of all the men in the square. Only a soldier, Don José, isn’t interested in her. Piqued, Carmen deliberately throws a flower to him. A quarrel breaks out between the women. Carmen is arrested, but seduces Jose into releasing her, and escapes. José is imprisoned for allowing her to escape.
Act 2
A month later, José has just been released, and goes to meet Carmen at a tavern. With her flower in his hand, José tells her his feelings. Carmen convinces José not to report for roll call, but to stay with her and join the smugglers.
Act 3
José regrets joining the smugglers. Carmen is already in love with another man — Escamillo, a bullfighter. Carmen reads the cards and forsees a dark future.
José's childhood friend, Micaela, comes to look for him to tell him that his mother is seriously ill. José decides to go home.
The following month, Escamillo, now Carmen’s lover, is welcomed by the spectators and enters the arena. Carmen remains in the square, and José appears. He demands Carmen leaves with him, but she refuses, throwing away the ring that José once gave her. In a jealous rage, José stabs Carmen to death with a dagger, and as the crowds exit the arena, confesses to his actions.
Practical Information
In French with German and English surtitles.
Introduction in the Rang‐Foyer on the right: 45 minutes before the start of the performance.
Recommended from 14 years.
Program
- Georges Bizet – Carmen
Deutsche Oper Berlin
Deutsche Oper Berlin is the biggest opera house in the German capital, and a member of the Berlin Opera Foundation established in the early 1900s. The original building was destroyed during the Second World War, but was eventually replaced, and the new theater opened in 1961 - six weeks after construction began on the Berlin Wall. Serving West Berlin, its sober, linear design avoids anything that might distract vistiors from the performance. The repertoire of the theater focuses on the great classics such as Mozart, Verdi and Strauss, but frequently presents contemporary opera as well. The Chorus of the Deutsche Oper has been named 'Chorus of the Year' many times for its outstanding performances.
Georges Bizet
Georges Bizet devoted his relatively short life of 36 years to the musical theatre. The opera Carmen, pearl of his oeuvre, is still one of the most frequently performed operas in the world. He was born in 1838 into a musically educated family – his father was a singing teacher and his mother a professional piano player. At the age of 4, young George could already read notes and play the piano, and six years later he became enrolled at the Paris Conservatory. After finishing his studies, Bizet won the prestigious Prix de Rome for his cantata Clovis et Clotilde, that allowed him to work solely on his own compositions for five years. He spent four rather carefree years in Italy from 1857 to 1860 where he travelled, composed and developed his talent. After coming back to Paris, he faced struggles and found it very difficult to achieve recognition for his music. In order to make a living, he gave private lessons, composed light entertaining music and made arrangements of piano works by other composers. In fact, he could have easily become a successful pianist as he was a virtuoso piano player and once impressed Franz Liszt himself with the performance of one of Liszt’s piano compositions. But Georges Bizet did not look for a way to make easy money and was adamant about his intention to only compose music. In 1872 he wrote two operas, Djamileh and L’Arlesienne, which were received very coldly but now are considered to be a representation of Bizet’s artistic maturity. Soon before his death in 1875, Carmen premiered in the Opera Comique, but the audience’s verdict was rather negative. Never having witnessed public acclaim during his life, George Bizet now is one of the most famous opera composers in history.
Address
Deutsche Oper Berlin, Bismarckstraße 35 , Berlin, Germany — Google Maps
