Georges Bizet (25 October 1838 – 3 June 1875), registered at birth as Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer of the romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, which has become one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertoire.
Carmen Suite No.1 & 2
The two orchestral suites were arranged after Bizet’s death by Ernest Guiraud (26 June 1837 — 6 May 1892) after Bizet’s orchestration of the original operatic score.
1. Prélude Act I, Prélude (bars 121–48)
2. Intermezzo (3:29) Entr’acte before Act III
3. Séguedille (6:09) Act I, No.10. “Près des remparts de Séville” (bars 1–81, 162–82, rescored)
4. Les Dragons d’Alcala (8:00) Entr’acte before Act II
5. Final (Les Toréadors) (9:30) Act I, Prélude (bars 1-119)
Carmen Suite No. 2
1. Marche des Contrebandiers (11:47) Act III, Chorus: Écoutes, écoutes, compagnon!
2. Habanera (15:498) Act I, Aria (Carmen): L’amour est un oiseau rebelle
3. Nocturne (17:58) Act III, Aria (Michela): Je dis que rien ne m’épourante
4. Chanson du Toréador (23:40) Act II, Introduction and aria (Escamillo): Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre
5. La Garde Montante (26:28) Act I: Avec la garde montante, nous arrivons, nous violá!
6. Danse Bohème (30:08) Act II, Gypsy Dance: Les tringles des sistres tintaient
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Mark Ermler.
The Carmen Suites are two suites of orchestral music drawn from the music of Georges Bizet’s 1875 opera Carmen and compiled posthumously by his friend Ernest Guiraud. They adhere very closely to Bizet’s orchestration.
Guiraud also wrote the recitatives for Carmen, and compiled the second of the two suites from Bizet’s L’Arlésienne incidental music.
Each of the Carmen Suites contains six numbers. Both suites have been performed and recorded many times.