Great Moments In Opera, Final Scene Of Bizet's Carmen
Great Moments In Opera, Final Scene Of Bizet's Carmen
The opera Carmen, as most opera fans are aware of is the story of a man by the name of Don Jose; who falls in love with a gypsy by the name of Carmen. It being in a tobacco factory (located in Seville, Spain) where Don Jose first meets Carmen, as it is after she is arrested for stabbing a fellow worker at the factory that she is guarded by Don Jose. Carmen however is all too aware of the fact that Don Jose is in love with her which she takes advantage of to convince him too allow her to escape with her aria "Prs Des Remparts". Don Jose however is arrested in place of Carmen, after her escape as none are deceived that it was an accident or incompetence on Don Jose's part but rather that he allowed her to do so; due to his personal feelings of affection for her.
It is after Carmen's escape that Don Jose seeks out Carmen and in fact finds her and even joins her band of gypsy smugglers. As she and he embark on a passionate love affair yet in all Carmen soon becomes unhappy with Don Jose. This due to his jealousy along with his wanting to constantly control her which cause Carmen's affection to turn from him, on to the famous bullfighter, Escamillo; whom she meets one day while traveling through Spain.
Carmen and Escamillo are immediately attracted to each other, as he introduces himself through his aria "toreador" which he uses to endear himself to Carmen and it is after sometime that the two of them find themselves involved in an ardent love affair. This also due to Don Jose's temporarily leaving Carmen to go back home to be by his mother's side, in her moment of illness which has placed her on death's doorstep.
It is in act four that we find Carmen, all alone in front of the bull fighting arena, waiting for Escamillo, who is in the middle of a "corrida". Carmen hears the cheers the crowd is giving her new love, Escamillo which fill her with delight and a sense of pride. As she has finally found the joy she was searching for in a romance yet it is as she is waiting that she is approached by Don Jose, who wishes her to return to him. Don Jose in fact is grief stricken and it is easy to see that he is no longer the proud officer he was in act one but a man who has suffered greatly, not only over the loss of his position in the military but the death of his mother as well as having been deserted by the love of his life; Carmen.
Carmen, for her part sees Don Jose and agrees to speak to him though in all truth; she has nothing to say to him. As she is in love with Escamillo and no longer wishes to have anything to do with Don Jose yet he is still in love with her and wants more than anything; for her to return to him. Don Jose declaring that he can not live without her and is willing to do anything if Carmen would just return to him yet she is adamant in her negative reply to his proposal of a reconciliation. Don Jose going on with the words "Carmen, ne me quite pas" (Carmen, don't leave me) as he pleads with Carmen not to leave him and to give him one more chance in a voice accompanied by a music which allows us to get the sensation of the despair being felt by this simple corporal; who in all reality had never known passion for a woman till he met Carmen. I, for my part have come to believe that the Spanish tenor, Jose Carreras is ideal for this role, in not only looking the part but in also having a voice which though not overly powerful is just right to interpret Don Jose.
Carmen however despite Don Jose's near begging, insists that what was between herself and Don Jose is over and though she holds no ill feelings toward him; simply does not wish to return to him. As she has found the love of her life in Escamilla. It being ironic that Don Jose, as she is trying to escape from him, drops his knife which she picks up and in fact hands back to him. As for this moment in this aria, it is a tender one and perhaps might lead us to feel sympathy for Don Jose, who in all truth does love Carmen. As he can not bare to live without her. It being these emotions which he makes all too clear to Carmen, who is trying to escape him and unlike in the first act; on this occasion he is not willing to let her go.
It is this scene, in which Carmen is firm as she tells Don Jose that she no longer loves him in a way that almost begs him to let her go, as she tries to be as nice as she can in her refusal of his attempts to reunite yet eventually looses patience in declaring to Don Jose, who is threatening her with a knife that he should either kill her or let her be. These being his options, for she will surely not return to him as she becomes defiant as the music increases in boldness. As for my opinion, I have seen many in the role of Carmen yet it is my believe that Agnes Baltsa does a great interpretation of this which is quite possibly the most famous opera role not only for a mezzo-soprano but any voice for that matter.
Don Jose eventually despairs, as he feels his life ending just as Carmen is about to walk out of his life forever, which prompts him to stab Carmen in the stomach in just the appropriate spot to end her life. It is at that moment that all the spectators come out of the arena to the horrid view of Carmen lying dead with Don Jose holding the knife which killed her. Don Jose not even trying to hide the fact that it was he who has just murdered Carmen, as the opera comes to an end and the final curtain closes.
The opera Carmen is definitely one of the most famous in the history of opera and though it was far from being a success on its opening night, as it was badly received by the public and critics alike yet in spite of this; it went on to become one of the best loved operas by opera fans through out the world. As for the role of Carmen, it is a mezzo-soprano role which has even been interpreted by many sopranos such as Maria Callas yet I would love to see my favorite soprano, Angela Gheorghiu in this role. As I feel that her lovely Romanian black hair and delicate features as well as temperament lend themselves perfectly to playing the role of this passionate gypsy.
I would also like to say that this in my opinion, is one of the greatest dramatic endings in tragic opera. As we are presented with a man (Don Jose) who sincerely loved Carmen despite being unable to go beyond the jealousies which lost her to him yet at the end was willing to do all just to get her back. As for Carmen, she is a woman of tremendous beauty and personality much like both Angela Gheorghiu and my friend, Marcela Vanmak yet perhaps it is her gypsy passion which much like Esmeralda's (a gypsy from "The Hunchback Of Notre Dame") leads to her demise; as she simply refuses to accept a man she does not love even under the threat of death.
In conclusion, I would like to say that Carmen is without much room for doubt, the most famous French opera ever written, as it offers so much in the way of passion that is inspired by both the lovely yet temperamental gypsy Carmen and noble yet simple Don Jose. It being his unwillingness to accept that she no longer loves him which in fact causes not only Carmen's death but his own which would come in the form of a firing squad; for her murder.
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