Georges Bizet (1838–1875) was a French composer whose name is forever tied to the opera “Carmen.” This story of a freedom-loving Roma woman, with its fiery melodies — the “Habanera” and the “Toreador Song” — became one of the most-performed operas of all time.
A paradox of fate: the 1875 premiere of “Carmen” was received coolly, the audience shocked by its realism and tragic ending. Bizet, deeply distressed, died only three months later at the age of 36, never learning of his work's future triumph. Besides “Carmen,” he wrote the opera “The Pearl Fishers” and the superb incidental music to the drama “L'Arlésienne.” Bizet was ahead of his time, bringing opera closer to the truth of life and paving the way to musical realism.
