Existing comment:
Oliver Smith. Rendering for act II, scene 4 (A Square in Seville Outside the Arena) of Carmen, Opera Company of Boston (Sarah Caldwell), 1968.
Performances of Carmen
The first performance of Carmen, in early 1875, was met by hostile critics and audiences. The following October, however, the opera was presented in Vienna in a more popular grand opera version with recitatives replacing the spoken dialogue, and the work began to take its place in the international repertoire. In the years since, Carmen has become a signature role for many celebrated singers, including Regina Resnik (1922–2013). The opera's gritty drama is reflected in Oliver Smith's stark set design for the final act in which Carmen's death outside the arena stands in contrast with the joyous "Toreador Song" from the first act which celebrates the toreador's triumphs inside the arena. |