What is Carmen?
{{Italic title}}[[File:Salzburger_Festspiele_2012_-_Carmen.jpg|thumb|[[Magdalena Kožená]] as Carmen and [[Jonas Kaufmann]] as Don José at the [[Salzburg Festival]] 2012]] '''''Carmen''''' is a [[France|French]] [[opera]] written and first performed on [[3 March]] [[1875]] by [[Georges Bizet]]. The story is set in [[Spain]]. It is based on the story of the same title by [[Prosper Mérimée]]. == Roles == * Carmen - [[mezzo-soprano]] * Don José - [[tenor]] * Micaëla - [[soprano]] * Escamillo - [[baritone]] == The story == Carmen is about a [[Romani people|gypsy]] girl who works in a factory. She falls in love with a [[soldier]] called Don José, who loves her. However, he is already [[engagement|engaged]] to somebody else. Later, he leaves the girl he was engaged to and the army for Carmen. Running away together, they are happy for a while until Carmen decides she loves a [[bullfight]]er called Escamillo. She leaves Don José. One day when Carmen is watching a bullfight, Don José waits for her and then tries to make her come back. She refuses, so he stabs her to death. [[wikt:horror|Horrified]] at what he has done, he goes to jail. == Discography == * 1911: Marguerite Merentie (Carmen), Agustarello Affre (Don José), Alline Vallandri (Micaëla), Henri Albers (Escamillo); Chœurs et Orchestre du Théâtre de l'Opéra-Comique de Paris, François Ruhlman - (Marston) * 1920: Raymonde Visconti (Carmen), Georges Thill (Don José), Marthe Nespoulous (Micaëla), Louis Guénot (Escamillo); Chœurs et Orchestre du Théâtre de l'Opéra-Comique de Paris, Élie Cohen - (EMI Classics) * 1950: Solange Michel (Carmen), Raoul Jobin (Don José), Martha Angelici (Micaëla), Michel Dens (Escamillo); Chœurs et Orchestre du Théâtre de l'Opéra-Comique de Paris, André Cluytens - (EMI Classics) * 1951: Risë Stevens (Carmen), Jan Peerce (Don José), Licia Albanese (Micaëla), Robert Merrill (Escamillo); Robert Shaw Chorale, RCA Victor Orchestra, Fritz Reiner - (RCA Victor) * 1959: Victoria de los Angeles (Carmen), [[Nicolai Gedda]] (Don José), Janine Michea