150 Years of “Carmen”

March 3, 2025, marks the 150th anniversary of the premiere of one of the most popular operas of all time: Georges Bizet’s Carmen. While today it is in constant rotation at opera houses around the world—beloved for its memorable tunes and dramatic love story—the opera was not an immediate hit when it premiered at the Opéra-Comique in Paris.

Carmen stoked controversy before it even graced the stage. Bizet’s choice of Prosper Mérimée’s 1845 novella Carmen as the basis of the libretto sparked tension between the two directors of the Opéra-Comique, causing one of them to resign. The Opéra-Comique, once known for its witty, satirical productions, had become a venue for more conservative, family-friendly fare, where productions were expected to be highly sentimental, moralistic, and end happily. Staging an opera where a flirtatious, free-spirited gypsy girl ends up murdered by her jealous lover was a risky decision.

The rehearsal period was prolonged and tumultuous, stretching over six months. Bizet faced hostility in the theater from all involved until the opera finally showed signs of success in the final rehearsals. For instance, the orchestra complained they could not play the score, as Bizet’s music was more difficult and elaborate than what they were used to. The women of the chorus also had their objections. Accustomed to standing still and singing in line, they found it challenging—and distasteful—to smoke and fight onstage while singing. The remaining director of the Opéra-Comique also did not give Bizet adequate support, refusing to invite eminent public figures to performances.

When Carmen finally premiered on March 3, 1875, the reception was mixed from colleagues and critics alike. Composer Charles Gounod levied claims of plagiarism against Bizet. According to a companion who attended the performance with him, Gounod claimed the melody of Micaëla’s Act 3 aria was his: “Georges has robbed me; take the Spanish airs and mine out of the score, and there remains nothing to Bizet’s credit but the sauce that masks the fish.”

Another composer, Fromental Halévy, recounted the audience's frigid reception as they struggled to comprehend Bizet’s departures from traditional comic opera form: “The first act was well received, with applause for the main numbers and numerous curtain calls. The first part of Act 2 also went well, but after the Toreador song there was nothing but coldness . . . In the final act, Bizet was left only the consolations of a few friends.” Most damningly, Jean Henri Dupin, a friend of one of the opera’s librettists, wrote, “I won’t mince words. Your Carmen is a flop, a disaster! It will never play more than twenty times.”

Critics for the Parisian newspapers were scandalized by the amorality of the opera’s heroine and the realism with which she was portrayed. Victorin Jonçières of La Liberté wrote, “Certain types of characters that are intriguing in a book are less appealing on the stage, where they take on a realistic nature that shocks even less timorous spirits.” Achille de Lauzières of La Patrie opined that Carmen was just the next in a series of operatic characters with “dubious morals,” calling her a “veritable prostitute of the gutter and the street-corner.”

Some reviewers conceded that the opera had strong musical ideas, while one reviewer called it “educated noise” and complained that the orchestra overpowered the singers. However, Théodore de Banville of Le National pinpointed the enduring genius of Bizet’s work: “M. Bizet has sought to show (in place of the puppets of opéra-comique) real men and real women, with the orchestra, turned creator and poet, interpreting for us their agonies, jealousies and mad impulses.”

Unfortunately, Bizet took these criticisms to the grave, dying just three months after the premiere at the age of 36. The opera’s poor initial reception and stress from the prolonged rehearsal period may have exacerbated Bizet’s already frail health. A heavy smoker, he often succumbed to bouts of quinsy, or severe tonsillitis, and he complained of heart palpitations. He fell ill shortly after the premiere, and after an inadvisable swim in the Seine on May 30, he developed an intense bout of rheumatism, accompanied by a high fever. He suffered two heart attacks in the following days and died in the early hours of June 3.

Although the premiere production ultimately ran for a respectable 45 performances, Bizet would never know the worldwide acclaim his opera would soon gain. His premature death, coupled with the opera’s salacious content, did stoke the public’s interest in the opera, however. After a successful Viennese premiere in October 1875, Carmen saw productions in over 20 cities worldwide by its eventual revival at the Opéra-Comique in 1883.

Carmen is now one of the most performed operas of all time and has seen countless reinterpretations over the years. For instance, you can check out the Metropolitan Opera’s latest staging of Carmen, set in a contemporary American industrial town, through Great Performances at the Met, streaming on the PBS App.