West Bay Opera: Carmen

53rd Season
2008–2009

Carmen
music by George Bizet
libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy
after the novella by Prosper Mérimée

first performed Théâtre National de l’Opéra-Comique, Paris, March 3, 1875
first performed by West Bay Opera Winter 1962

Four Performances Lucie Stern Theatre in Palo Alto
(in French with English titles) Conductor: Michel Singher Director: David Cox

Friday, October 17, 2008 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, October 19, 2008 at 2:00 PM

Saturday, October 25, 2008 at 8:00 PM
Sunday, October 26, 2008 at 2:00 PM

	The Program (meet the cast & crew)
	Synopsis (the story of the opera)
	Costumes
	The Set
	Performance Pictures
Reviews
Accepting Carmen’s Challenge (San Francisco Classical Voice, October 17, 2008) Carmen an exquisite presentation (San Mateo County Daily Journal, October 24, 2008) Lusty, bold and beautiful (Palo Alto Weekly, October 24, 2008)

Never having set foot in Spain, in 1875 the 36-year-old Bizet composed a thoroughly French opera on Spanish themes. Carmen, a sensuous Gypsy in 1870s Seville, lives in the moment, and her zest for life makes men flock to her. Don José, a soldier, is no exception. Falling madly in love with Carmen, he abandons his first love, neglects his mother, becomes a deserter and joins Carmen and the Gypsy smugglers. But Carmen soon loses interest in him, and rejects him in favor of Escamillo, the bullfighter. Desperately jealous, Don José kills her.

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