Carmen

Carmen is a French opéra comique[1] in four acts by Georges Bizet (1838-1875)[2].

The original text

Based on the novella Carmen[3] (1845) by Prosper Mérimée (1803-1870)[4], with a libretto by Henri Meilhac (1830-1897)[5] and Ludovic Halévy (1834-1908)[6], it tells Don José, who is seduced by the fiery gypsy Carmen and thus abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts from his military duties. When he loses Carmen's love to the glamorous torero Escamillo, the healous José kills her.

Carmen was first performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 3 March 1875 and the first audiences were shocked and scandalized by its transgression of the usual conventions, but the work gained international acclaim over the next decade went on to become one of the most popular and frequently performed operas in the classical canon.

Translations and adaptations

There have been many adaptations of the opera, including La Tragedie de Carmen (1983), a a 90-minute version Peter Brook and numerous films.[7]

The character "Carmen" has been a regular subject of film treatment since the earliest days of cinema. The films were made in various languages and interpreted by several cultures, and have been created by prominent directors including Raoul Walsh (1915),[102] Cecil B. DeMille (1915),[103] Otto Preminger (1954), Carlos Saura (1983) (who made a flamenco-based dance film with two levels of story telling), Peter Brook (1983) (filming his compressed, 90-minute La Tragédie de Carmen), and Jean-Luc Godard (1984).[104] The Preminger film, Carmen Jones, is based on the 1943 Oscar Hammerstein's Broadway musical of the same name, itself an adaptation of the opera. The story is transposed to 1940s Chicago, and features an all-black cast.[105] Francesco Rosi's film of 1984, with Julia Migenes and Plácido Domingo, is generally faithful to the original story and to Bizet's music.[106] Carmen on Ice (1990), starring Katarina Witt, Brian Boitano and Brian Orser, was inspired by Witt's gold medal-winning performance during the 1988 Winter Olympics.[107] Robert Townsend's 2001 film, Carmen: A Hip Hopera, starring Beyoncé Knowles, is a more recent attempt to create an African-American version.[108]

Carmen was also interpreted in modern ballet by South African dancer and choreographer Dada Masilo.[

Performance history in South Africa

1893-4: Performed by the Lyric Opera Company on tour in South Africa, including performances in the Opera House, Cape Town.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carmen_(novella)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prosper_M%C3%A9rim%C3%A9e

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Georges_Bizet

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henri_Meilhac

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludovic_Hal%C3%A9vy

D.C. Boonzaier, 1923. "My playgoing days – 30 years in the history of the Cape Town stage", in SA Review, 9 March and 24 August 1932. (Reprinted in Bosman 1980: pp. 374-439.)

F.C.L. Bosman. 1980. Drama en Toneel in Suid-Afrika, Deel II, 1856-1912. Pretoria: J.L. van Schaik: pp.203-205

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