¡Olé! The Winston-Salem Symphony Brings Carmen to Life
Few pieces of music are as instantly recognizable — or as irresistibly exciting — as Georges Bizet’s Carmen. Whether you’re a lifelong opera devotee or someone who’s never set foot in an opera house, you already know this music. It’s in movies, commercials, figure skating routines, and pop songs. It’s everywhere — and for good reason.
On April 25 & 26, the Winston-Salem Symphony is bringing you the best of Carmen in a concert featuring nine dazzling orchestral excerpts, drawn from the two suites arranged by Bizet’s friend Ernst Guiraud in the 1880s. Think of it as the greatest hits album of 19th-century opera.
The story behind the music is almost as dramatic as the opera itself. Bizet completed Carmen in 1874, and its Paris premiere in 1875 was met with a decidedly lukewarm reception — audiences were scandalized by its bold, morally complex heroine and gritty realism. Bizet, deeply discouraged, died just three months later at only 36, never knowing the masterpiece he’d left behind. Within a few years, Carmen had become one of the most performed operas in the world. Brahms reportedly saw it 20 times. Tchaikovsky predicted it would become the most popular opera ever written. They were both right.
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Music by Anna Clyne, Kurt Weill, and favorites from Bizet’s Carmen | Apr 25 & 26
Here’s something that surprises many people: Bizet was French, but Carmen is soaked in Spanish soul. The sultry rhythms, the flamenco fire, the Mediterranean heat — all conjured by a Parisian composer who brilliantly absorbed and reimagined the sounds of Spain.
Our program winds through nine magnificent excerpts, from the swagger of Les Toréadors and the smoky sensuality of the Habanera, to the festive energy of La Garde Montante (the famous “changing of the guard” march with its irresistible children’s chorus melody) and the electrifying Danse Bohème to close the suite.
If you’ve never experienced Carmen with a live orchestra, this is your moment. And if you have — well, you already know you need to be there.
On Audio: Bizet’s Carmen
Winston-Salem Symphony | Robert Moody Conductor
September 2016
Bizet “March of the Toreadors” from Carmen
Bizet “Habanera” from Carmen
Bizet “Chanson du Toréador” from Carmen