Wednesday, October 25, 2023

October 25 - Georges Bizet (The Musical Birthday Series, 5th Annual Cycle)

Previous posts for October 25th are here: Georges Bizet (2019), Johann Strauss, Jr (2020), Barbara Cook (2021), and Thomas Weelkes; Georges Bizet (2022)

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Georges Bizet (25 October 1838 – 3 June 1875) was a composer whose Carmen is one of the mainstays of the standard repertoire.

 


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And Therein Lies the Plot


When Carmen was sent to the slammer

For raising a riotous clamour,

She shortened her stay

By seducing José

With beguiling Iberian glamor.


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Everyone’s a Critic


The opera was first performed by the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 3 March 1875, where its breaking of conventions shocked and scandalised its first audiences. The depictions of proletarian life, immorality, and lawlessness, and the tragic death of the main character on stage, broke new ground in French opera and were highly controversial. – adapted from Wikipedia, s.v. “Carmen”


The folks at the Opéra-Comique

Gave Carmen a dismal critique;

Opinion was solid

In finding it squalid,

Too sexy, too coarse, and too bleak.

 

 

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