Carmen takes the foreground, with Don José and Escamillo behind her in the fading light of Seville. The scene hints at a world where public celebration, desire and conflict unfold side by side until the opera’s final encounter. i Work Information Composer: Georges Bizet (1838–1875) Title: Carmen Composition: 1873–1874, with changes during preparations for the premiere in 1875 Premiere: 3 March 1875, Opéra-Comique, Paris Genre: Opéra-comique in four acts Musical Period: French Romanticism Libretto: Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, after the novella by Prosper Mérimée Language: French Structure: Four acts, with an orchestral prelude and entr’actes Duration: approx. 150–170 minutes, excluding intervals; varies with the version, dialogue and cuts Instrumentation: Soloists, mixed chorus, children’s chorus, orchestra and onstage instrumental groups Some of the best-known melodies in Georges Bizet’s Carmen reach us long before we encounter the opera itself. Yet the Ha...