O ma Carmen: Bizet’s Fateful Gypsy in Portrayals from 1875 to the Present

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Che cos’ ? (What is it?) mezzo-soprano Celestine Galli-Marie asked when offered the title role in the 1875 premier of Bizet’s new opera, Carmen. She was only the first in a long succession of performers to ask that question. In the more than 140 years since, each singer has delved into the character of Carmen to craft her own portrayal of the inscrutable Gypsy. As the famous American soprano Geraldine Farrar wrote: Each one of us probably sees something that the others have not seen–or thinks she does–and that “something’ is her individual Carmen. This book explores the history of operatic portrayals of Bizet’s elusive enchantress, tracing the development of vocal and dramatic interpretations from generation to generation around the globe.