Georges Bizet: CarmenOpéra-Comique, Paris

Frilly dresses and flowery hats for the ladies, frock coats and top hats for the men: a cheerful audience prepares to attend the premiere of Carmen on 3 March 1875, recreated here on stage. The men are chatting away when a stranger appears. This worried but wise young woman is looking for her fiancé, Don José, who is a brigadier in Seville. When Don José hears that a young lady is after him, he thinks it must be Micaëla, his betrothed. He watches as a group of lively Andalusian cigarette girls leave the nearby tobacco factory, laughing in unison at the jocular entreaties of their flatterers. One of the girls, Carmen, is the focus of all the men’s lust. Spotting Don José amongst them, she approaches him before disappearing, throwing him the red flower she has plucked from her hair...

A rebellious heroine
In 2023, the most frequently performed French opera in the world returned to the Opéra-Comique, where it was first performed in 1875. Taking up the tragic fate of the beautiful bohemian and the brigadier Don José, German director Andreas Homoki transports this visionary masterpiece to three different eras: the scandal that accompanied its premiere; the Occupation – a troubled period that coincides with the two lovers going underground; and finally, our own era, where the rebellious heroine’s fierce defence of her right to love as she chooses echoes the #MeToo movement. Under the nuanced direction of Louis Langrée, this production offers a splendid setting for the Kosovar soprano Elbenita Kajtazi (acclaimed as Micaëla) and the magnificent mezzo-soprano Gaëlle Arquez, who imbues the title role with all the passion it demands.