Carmen: English National Opera Guide 13

by Georges Bizet, Nicholas John (Editor)

Overview

English National Opera Guides are ideal companions to the opera. They provide stimulating introductory articles together with the complete text of each opera in English and the original. Bizet describes himself as "pagan" and Carmen has a savage Mediterranean beauty quite unique in music. The essays included in this Guide suggest some reasons for its legendary theatrical appeal. Martin Cooper describes the traditional mixture of spoken words and song that stimulated Bizet to exclaim "I want to revolutionize opera-comique!": the translators show the ingenious and inspired ways in which he set about it. Lesley Wright analyzes the score and Michael Rabaud shows the uncanny appropriateness of Nietzche's support for Bizet in his famous attacks on the decadence of Wagner. This is the first time that the complete text of the verses that Bizet set to music and the full dialogue (much of it especially translated for this Opera Guide), have ever been published.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780714544175
Publisher:	Oneworld Classics
Publication date:	02/01/2011
Edition description:	Bilingual
Pages:	132
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Georges Bizet (1838 - 1875) was a French composer and pianist of the Romantic era, best known for the opera Carmen.

Table of Contents

List of Illustrations vi

Introduction Nicholas John 7

Opéra-Comique Martin Cooper 9

A Musical Commentary Lesley A. Wright 19

'Carmen': A tragedy of love, sun and death Michel Rabaud 37

Thematic Guide 45

Bibliography 56

'Carmen'French text Henri Meilhac Ludovic Halévy after the novel Prosper Mérimée

English version Nell John Moody 57

Act One 59

Act Two 80

Act Three 103

Act Four 118

Pantomime from Act One 125

Discography 127

Editorial Reviews

Brilliantly produced and superb value.”  —The Sunday Times

"All these will provide the new opera-goer with food for thought."  —Daily Telegraph

"Wholehearted recommendation of this valuable new series."  —TLS

From the Publisher