Sinkos Musiksalon #6: Who Was Georges Bizet?

This year, the Gars Opera Festival hosts “Carmen”. This piece is one of the ten most performed operas of all time. We know little about the composer Georges Bizet. The Musical Salon takes us from the first talent tests of the prodigy from Paris to his failed attempts to gain a foothold in musical theater to rehearsals for work that was destined to become a world hit, which he was not, in turn allowed to try.

This episode includes excerpts from the following recordings:

Carmen – New York Metropolitan Opera Orchestra – Leonard Bernstein 8DG)

Symphony in C major – Orchester Lamoreaux, Paris: Jean Martinon (DG)

Scherzo from the symphony “Rome” – RTÈ National Symphony Orchestra Jean-Luc Tengaud (Naxos)

Duet of Clovis and Clotilde – Katharina Jovanovic, Philippe Doe, Orchester National de Lille • Jean-Claude Casadisos (Naxos)

L’Aurore from “Chants du Rhin” – Julia Severus (Naxos)

Duet from “The Pearl Fishers” – Fritz Wunderlich, Hermann Brie, Munich Radio Orchestra – Horst Stein (DG)

Farandole from “L’Arlesienne” Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Herbert von Karajan (Director General)

Havanese (Version 1) by “Carmen” – Elena Garanca, RAI Orchestra, Karel-Mark Chichon (DG)

Don Jose song from “Carmen” – Piotr Beczala, Lyon Opera Orchestra, Alain Altinoglu (DG)