Bizet?s Carmen is probably the best known opera of the standard repertoire, yet its very familiarity often prevents us from approaching it with the seriousness it deserves. This handbook explores the opera in a number of contexts, bringing to the surface the controversies over gender, race, class an[...]

A riveting story of fatal attraction between a beguiling, strong-willed gypsy and a naive but passionate soldier who falls under her spell, Georges Bizet's Carmen pulses with seduction, obsession, and deadly betrayal. It was reviled at its Paris premiere, where its realism and perceived amorality pr[...]

(Schott). "Carmen" is one of the most frequently performed operas in the world and the genesis of the work is exceptionally well documented. In spite of this, none of the editions published after the composer's death correspond to his intentions. Now Didion's edition, of which a piano reduction (ED [...]