We’re diving into timeless arias from Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen.
Georges Bizet died suddenly from a heart condition at the age of 36, a few months after the premiere of Carmen – he never had the chance to see how successful this opera would become. Carmen is one of the most popular operas performed today –it is up there with La Bohème, La Traviata, Madame Butterfly, Tosca, and Rigoletto. Note that all the operas I just mentioned are Italian and composed by Giuseppe Verdi or Giacomo Puccini. Carmen is arguably the most popular French opera (and, by the way, it’s performed in French).
You can watch full opera here:
Before we go further, let me tell you a little bit about Carmen, the character. She is the titular protagonist of the opera, portrayed as a fiery, independent gypsy woman from Seville, Spain. She works in a cigarette factory and embodies themes of passion, freedom, and fatalism through her seductive and rebellious nature. In the story, she captivates the soldier Don José with her charm, leading him into a tumultuous romance marked by jealousy and tragedy, ultimately meeting her demise at his hands. I always sympathized with Don José and looked at Carmen as an anti-hero, but I think I am in the minority.
Here’s the aria “Habanera”
Carmen sings seductively about the unpredictable and free nature of love, captivating the soldiers and throwing a flower at Don José in Act I. This flower is going to become important a few arias later. #TimelessArias
This email struck me very close to home. I, like you was a young entrepreneur and i remember looking my wife in the eye in 1982 telling her i will make this business i just started succeed no matter what. I will not fail. As you said, that does take a toll on family life and i was more like the faster you described. It brought a tear eye and wished it was written 40 heard ago. Belated thanks Sheldon