Carmen - Schedule, Program & Tickets
Carmen
Opera in four acts
Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy based on the novella of the same name by Prosper Mérimée
In French with German and English surtitles
Premiere
May 1, 2026
The myth of Carmen and her unprecedented struggle for freedom and self-determination.
Can Carmen's gaze only be compared to that of a wild animal? The French writer Prosper Mérimée explores this question in his novella Carmen, the basis for Georges Bizet's (1838–1875) eponymous and final opera, which premiered on March 3, 1875, at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. Carmen's seductive appearance is both her weapon and her destiny, for in the end, she dies at the hands of her jealous lover: Don José.
Carmen doesn't want to be controlled by others, and certainly doesn't want to be rescued by Don José in the swirling sand outside the bullring; she'd even prefer death: she wants to decide her own life. In the hugely popular Habanera, Carmen's passionate entrance aria, she paints a picture of herself: "Love is a stubborn bird that no one can tame." Her unyielding desire for freedom is her DNA.
Georges Bizet's score, peppered with catchy melodies, characteristic instruments like castanets and tambourine, rousing rhythms, and a series of Spanish dances, is bursting with verve, power, and passion. Joy of life and dance, but also pain and ultimately death, are closely intertwined. The Janus-faced theme of fear and fascination sets the tone for this opera and, incidentally, continues to influence a multitude of Carmen's relatives in later operatic characters.
Subject to change.
Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy based on the novella of the same name by Prosper Mérimée
In French with German and English surtitles
Premiere
May 1, 2026
The myth of Carmen and her unprecedented struggle for freedom and self-determination.
Can Carmen's gaze only be compared to that of a wild animal? The French writer Prosper Mérimée explores this question in his novella Carmen, the basis for Georges Bizet's (1838–1875) eponymous and final opera, which premiered on March 3, 1875, at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. Carmen's seductive appearance is both her weapon and her destiny, for in the end, she dies at the hands of her jealous lover: Don José.
Carmen doesn't want to be controlled by others, and certainly doesn't want to be rescued by Don José in the swirling sand outside the bullring; she'd even prefer death: she wants to decide her own life. In the hugely popular Habanera, Carmen's passionate entrance aria, she paints a picture of herself: "Love is a stubborn bird that no one can tame." Her unyielding desire for freedom is her DNA.
Georges Bizet's score, peppered with catchy melodies, characteristic instruments like castanets and tambourine, rousing rhythms, and a series of Spanish dances, is bursting with verve, power, and passion. Joy of life and dance, but also pain and ultimately death, are closely intertwined. The Janus-faced theme of fear and fascination sets the tone for this opera and, incidentally, continues to influence a multitude of Carmen's relatives in later operatic characters.
Subject to change.