Carmen Toreador Song ( Bizet; Kostas Smoriginas, The Royal Opera)

Find out more: Kostas Smoriginas as Escamillio in Barrie Kosky s Royal Opera production of Bizet s masterpiece. Awardwinning director Barrie Kosky provides a refreshing perspective on this wellknown opera. He explores Carmen s everchanging nature marked by her series of contrasting costumes and her vitality through dance. The prerecorded voice of a narrator (perhaps Carmen herself) ensures that we experience the whole story from her perspective, and the production s unique performing edition (by Michael Rot) offers a chance for audience members to hear music Bizet omitted from the opera s first performances. Carmen had only lukewarm success at its 1875 premiere perhaps due to its unconventional subject but soon became immensely popular, and has remained so. Its glorious score boasts a host of wonderful melodies, including Carmen s sensual Habanera and Seguidilla, Don José s tender F