Carmen

World premiere in staged form

One of the most celebrated operas in the world is presented in Martina Franca in a version never performed before, using the score originally prepared by Bizet in 1874, before the directors of the Opéra Comique de Paris requested major changes for the 1875 premiere. Thanks to the critical work of Paul Prévost, the Bärenreiter edition has returned to the composer’s autograph manuscripts, restoring Carmen in its original opéra-comique form, with extensive use of melodrama and spoken dialogue over a richly orchestrated accompaniment.

Free and indomitable, Carmen wants to live her life—and would rather die than submit to a man’s will. She will be killed by her rejected lover, with the tragic finale that defies the conventions of the genre, set against the fiery atmosphere of the corrida, accompanied by the music of one of the most performed operas in the history of melodrama.

Fabio Luisi, the Festival’s Music Director, offers for the first time in his long career his interpretation of Bizet’s masterpiece; direction, set, and lighting are by Denis Krief, an artist of great experience who returns to Martina Franca after a long absence.