Download the Audio of  Carmen

George Bizet (1838-1875) composed his opera Carmen following the old tradition of setting operas in Spain, more than 20 in Seville alone. It opened in 1875 at the Opera Comique in Paris.

The story-line is more complicated than Prosper Merim¨¦e¡¯s novel; more characters were added and stereotypes exaggerated by the libbr¨¦tists Meilhac and Halevy.   The original story had to be adapted to conform to the conventions and expectations of the audience accostumed to bourgeois melodrama.

[source:ebeijing.gov.cn]