Sunday Classics: Finally we get to the Final Scene of "Carmen"

Teresa Berganza and Plácido Domingo sing the final scene of Carmen.

by Ken

One loose thread we're going to not so much tie up as pull all the way out before we close up shop here is the Final Scedne of Bizet's Carmen, which we were headed toward ever so gradually in a series of posts that stretched out quite awhile and got us into the scene. But I had it in mind to continue through it, trying to explain, or describe, or just show the point at which the fates of Carmen and Don José intersect so tragically. Well, now that I'm past trying to explain or describe or even just show, I rediscover a large number of audio files I already made of most or all of this scene, clearly intended to be used at some point in some way that I never did figure out. It seems a shame to let them go to waste.

I could have sworn there was one more post, in which I just dumped out the whole scene, and I distinctly remember doing texts for it, but it appears that never got done either. And now I have to re-create the texts for the portions of the scene we didn't cover previously. There are links for all the posts that I can find at the end of this post.


FIRST LET'S REMEMBER HOW THE OPERA BEGINS

And pay attention to the final part, not strictly part of the Prelude, which gives us our first hearing of the "Fate" motif which threads through the opera, and culminates of course in the Final Scene.

BIZET: Carmen: Prelude


Orchestra of the Théâtre National de l'Opéra de Paris, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, cond. EMI, recorded July 1969-Feb. 1970

Vienna Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan, cond. RCA/BMG, recorded November 1963

Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Michel Plasson, cond. EMI, recorded Feb.-Mar. 2002


WE MIGHT AS WELL HEAR THE OTHER ENTR'ACTES TOO

Way back when, I enjoyed Rafael Frühbaeck de Burgos's performance of the Prelude so much that I tacked on his Entr'actes to Acts II, III, and IV>

Entr'acte to Act II

Entr'acte to Act III

Entr'acte to Act IV

Orchestra of the Théâtre National de l'Opéra de Paris, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, cond. EMI, recorded July 1969-Feb. 1970

And then I dubbed my LPs of Leonard Bernstein's performances from his complete recording of Carmen with Metropolitan Opera forces, noting that --

we're in a different musical world here -- not just broader and more spacious, but weightier and more richly and variously textured, with greater intensity and depth. Remember, I really, really like the Frühbeck de Burgos performances, which have what I can only call "earned energy," seemingly generated from within, rather than slathered on from the outside. But Lenny's Met Carmen wasn't like any other I've heard.

BIZET: Carmen: Prelude; Entr'actes to Acts II-IV

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Leonard Bernstein, cond. DG, recorded 1973


FINALLY, BEFORE WE RETURN TO THE FINAL SCENE

Let's repeat the quick listen we did to the opening of Act IV (now often dubbed by historically informed people "Act III, Scene 2," but I've stuck to the old nomenclature). We start with the Entr'acte to Act IV, then go directly into the act, which is set back in Seville, in a square outside the bullfighting arena, where a large crowd, out of its mind with excitement, is gathered for -- what else? -- bullfighting. I didn't bother with texts, trusting that you'd get the general idea.

Entr'acte to Act IV and Opening Chorus


Frank Schooten (bs), Zuniga; Vienna State Opera Chorus, Vienna Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan, cond. RCA, recorded November 1963

Jean-Philippe Courtis (bs), Zuniga; Chorus of Radio France, Orchestre National de France, Seiji Ozawa, cond. Philips, recorded July 13-22, 1988

Now one thing that's curious about all this wonderfully festive music is that, pretty unusually, it's all in triple meter: 3/8 for the entr'acte, 3/4 for the opening chorus. It sure sounds as if Bizet has deliberately avoided even meters -- you know, the sort of thing you can march to, in order to save his march meters for the next great development, the entrance of the bullfighting cuadrilla. Note particularly the thrill level of the children in the crowd. (Again, I'm not going to bother with texts. I don't think you'll have any trouble spotting the grand entrance of the idolized toreador himself.)

Act IV, March and Chorus, "Les voici! Voici la quadrille!" ("Here they are! Here's the cuadrilla!"

Vienna Boys Choir, Vienna State Opera Chorus, Vienna Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan, cond. RCA, recorded November 1963

Soloists; Maîtrise and Chorus of Radio France, Orchestre National de France, Seiji Ozawa, cond. Philips, recorded July 13-22, 1988


NOW FOR THE FINAL SCENE

Note that the performances appear in the order in which I happened to stow them away, which is apparently no order whatsoever. Note too that we've got all sorts of voices and personalities represented here. As Carmen we've got an especially (and surprisingly) strong group of lyric sopranos: de los Angeles, Migenes-Johnson, Moffo, and I might add -- because their voices are so hard to classify -- Gheorgiu and Bumbry.

Among the tenors, we have some voices of authentic dramatic weight: Vinay (in English!), del Monaco, Vickers, Corelli, though the latter three, singing in French, don't sing especially good French, and it matters, because the text by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy is not only singable and singworthy but dramatically pointed. For a José who brings the text to life, we have to turn to the great Georges Thill. I might add that Thill's partner, like Ramón Vinay's and Conchita Supervia's, are decent singers we wouldn't be hearing except for their partners.

BIZET: Carmen: Act IV, Final Scene, Carmen-Don José, "C'est toi!" ("It's you!"), "C'est moi!" ("It's me!")

Eventually I'll get around to texts for the whole scene. To start, however, because I'm already late for an appointment, here's just the portion we've already heard. You can probably fine a French-English libretto of the opera online. [UPDATE: Well, I missed my event, and in the process out the window went my $35, not to mention an hour and three-quarters' worth of round-trip-to-nowhere. I'll get to the texts eventually.]

DON JOSÉ: I'm not threatening you, I'm imploring, I'm begging;
our past, Carmen, our past, I'll forget it!
Yes, we are going -- both of us --
to start another life,
far from here, under other skies.
CARMEN: You ask the impossible,
Carmen has never lied;
her soul remains inflexible.
Between her and you, everything is finished.
Never have I lied;
between us, everything is finished.
DON JOSÉ: Carmen, there's still time,
yes, there's still time.
O my Carmen, let me
save you, you whom I adore,
ah, let me save you,
and save myself with you.

VICTORIA DE LOS ANGELES and NICOLAI GEDDA (1958-59)


Victoria de los Angeles (s), Carmen; Nicolai Gedda (t), Don José; Chorus and Orchestre National of the Radiodiffusion Française, Sir Thomas Beecham, cond. EMI, recorded 1958-59

ANGELA GHEORGHIU and ROBERTO ALAGNA (2002)


Angela Gheorghiu (ms), Carmen; Roberto Alagna (t), Don José; "Les Éléments" Chorus, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Michel Plasson, cond. EMI, recorded Feb.-Mar. 2002

RAYMONDE VISCONTI and GEORGES THILL (1928-29)


Raymonde Visconti (ms), Carmen; Georges Thill (t), Don José; Opéra-Comque Chorus, symphony orchestra, Élie Cohen, cond. EMI, recorded 1928-29

GRACE BUMBRY and JON VICKERS (1969-70)


Grace Bumbry (ms), Carmen; Jon Vickers (t), Don José; Chorus and Orchestra of the Théâtre National de l'Opéra, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos, cond. EMI, recorded July and Sept. 1969, Feb. 1970

ANNA MOFFO and FRANCO CORELLI (1970)


Anna Moffo (s), Carmen; Franco Corelli (t), Don José; Chorus and Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Lorin Maazel, cond. Eurodisc, recorded 1970

WINIFRED HEIDT and RAMÓN VINAY (1946)


[in English] Winifred Heidt (ms), Carmen; Ramón Vinay (t), Don José; Hollywood Bowl Chorus and Symphony Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski, cond. Live performance, July 11, 1946

LEONTYNE PRICE and FRANCO CORELLI (1963)


Leontyne Price (s), Carmen; Franco Corelli (t), Don José; Vienna State Opera Chorus, Vienna Philharmonic, Herbert von Karajan, cond. RCA/BMG, recorded November 1963

JULIA MIGENES-JOHNSON and PLÁCIDO DOMINGO (1982)


Julia Migenes-Johnson (s), Carmen; Plácido Domingo (t), Don José; Chorus of Radio France, Orchestre National de France, Lorin Maazel, cond. Erato, recorded December 1982

RISË STEVENS and MARIO DEL MONACO (1957)


Risë Stevens (ms), Carmen; Mario del Monaco (t), Don José; Metropolitan Opera Chorus and Orchestra, Dimitri Mitropoulos, cond. Live performance, Jan. 12, 1957

MARIA CALLAS and NICOLAI GEDDA (1964)


Maria Callas (s), Carmen; Nicolai Gedda (t), Don José; Choeurs René Duclos, Orchestra of the Théâtre National de l'Opéra, Georges Prêtre, cond. EMI, recorded July 6-20, 1964

CONCHITA SUPERVIA and GASTON MICHELETTI (1931)


Conchita Supervia (ms), Carmen; Gaston Micheletti (t), Don José; orchestra, Gustave Cloëz. cond. French Odeon, recorded in Paris, Apr, 24, 1931

CARMEN CHEZ SUNDAY CLASSICS

Flute-and-Harp Week, part 1 -- in which we somehow hear Bizet's "Toreadors" [3/2/12]

Preview: If you don't love me, I love you, and if I love you, watch out!" -- meet La Carmencita [11/9/12]

"And long live the music that falls on us from heaven" (Carmen) [11/11/12]

Preview: Enter the Toreador [11/23/12]

All the major players in Carmen gather outside the bullfighting arena in Seville [11/25/12]

Preview: "Between us, everything is finished" (Carmen) [11/30/12]

More of Carmen and Don José, plus Sunday Classics revisits G&S's The Sorcerer [12/2/12]

Remembering Risë Stevens [3/24/]13]

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