\u201cCarmen\u201d is one of the greatest and most popular operas ever conceived. That combination is a rare one that only a handful of composers have truly managed.<\/p>\n
But it didn\u2019t seem destined for such a destiny.<\/p>\n
When it premiered on March 3, 1875, the work was a complete failure. Unfortunately, Bizet died a month later thinking that his great masterpiece had been a mistake.<\/p>\n
The opera became more popular after a number of productions outside France and it returned to the place of its birth in 1883. The work has been so popular that it has yielded a number of adaptations across several different art forms.<\/p>\n
Micha\u00ebla is looking for her fianc\u00e9e Don Jos\u00e9 and after the change of the guard the two find one another and she sends him a message from his mother, who is ill in their village. Prior to that meeting however, Don Jos\u00e9 encounters the gypsy Carmen, who gives him a flower. Later Carmen is arrested for starting a fight with another one of the cigarette women and Don Jos\u00e9 is left to guard her. She seduces him and he helps her escape, but is arrested in the process.<\/p>\n
Carmen is hanging out with her entourage at Lilias Pastia\u2019s Inn when a bull fighter Escamillo and his entourage enter. Escamillo sets his eyes on Carmen, though she ignores him. Meanwhile, Zuniga, another military officer tries to win her over. Everyone leaves and Carmen is asked to join her smuggler friends in another job. Don Jos\u00e9 arrives and Carmen seduces him once more. However, when the bugle call sounds, he prepares to leave, angering Carmen. It looks like their relationship is at an end but Zuniga busts in to try and force Carmen into submission. Don Jos\u00e9 fights Zuniga, committing himself to Carmen and her friends.<\/p>\n
Several months later, things are not going well between Carmen and Don Jos\u00e9. Carmen\u2019s fortune telling informs her that she is set to die. They all run off to do some work, leaving Don Jos\u00e9 on guard duty. Micha\u00ebla arrives seeking out Don Jos\u00e9 and hides in the encampment. Escamillo arrives seeking out Carmen, to Don Jos\u00e9\u2019s irritation. The two men square off to fight but are stopped by the arrival of the other smugglers. Micha\u00ebla is discovered and she informs Jos\u00e9 that his mother is dying. He runs off with Micha\u00ebla, promising Carmen that he will be back.<\/p>\n
Bullfighters, including Escamilio, arrive at the arena in Seville. Carmen is with Escamillo and they declare their love for one another. When everyone has exited, Carmen is confronted by Don Jos\u00e9, who begs her to come back with him. She resists and he ends up killing her.<\/p>\n
Quiz: Which \u201cCarmen\u201d Character Are You?<\/a><\/p>\n Different Adaptations of \u201cCarmen\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n Six Sopranos Who Recorded Or Performed The Mezzo Role<\/a><\/p>\n