Resource Center: Opera 24/7
La Tragedie de Carmen
Readings
- Brook, Peter. 1968. The Empty Space. New York: Touchstone. An interesting read which outlines Peter Brook’s ideas on theater in general, including opera, which lends light on his adaptation of Bizet’s Carmen.
- McClary, Susan. 1992. George Bizet: Carmen (Cambridge Opera Handbooks). Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. The Cambridge guide to the original opera provides some interesting insights into the work, in particular the role of Carmen in the opera.
- Mérimée, Prosper. 1999. Carmen and Other Stories. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Read the story that inspired the opera.
Recordings
- Carmen: by Georges Bizet, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti, Tatiana Troyanos, Plácido Domingo, José van Dam, Kiri Te Kanawa (CD – 1990). Audio recording of original version of Carmen
- Carmen Jones: Dorothy Dandridge, Harry Belafonte, Olga James, and Pearl Bailey (DVD - 2002)
Many adaptations of Carmen exist – over 70 films including the more recent Hip hopera version starring Beyonce Knowles. However, this 1954 adaptation of Carmen remains true to the core arias like La tragedie de Carmen, and uses Bizet’s music. New lyrics provided by Oscar Hammerstein II are performed by a star studded African-American cast. You can also find Carmen Jones on Netflix!
Resources
- An Overview of Bizet’s Carmen A collaboration between Columbia University and the New York City Opera Project providing an overview of the original opera Carmen and composer Bizet.
- Peter Brook An article focusing on Peter Brook, who adapted Bizet’s Carmen and directed the first performances of the work.
- Peter Brook official website
