Georges Bizet’s “Carmen” is one of the most enduring operas of all time. Depicting the tragic death of the gypsy seductress Carmen, this groundbreaking work shocked audiences at its premiere with its realism and popular subject matter.
The initial poor reception crushed Bizet, who passed away just three months later. While the composer died believing his magnum opus to be a failure, the opera would go on to be his most popular work. After hearing the score, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky famously declared that “ten years hence, Carmen will be the most popular opera in the world.”
