How did the carmen bizet opera story start?
“Carmen” is the best known operatic work of French composer Georges Bizet. The opera, which is performed by every major opera house in the world, got its inspiration from a novella of the same name.HistoryFrench author Prosper Merimee had his short novel “Carmen” published in 1845. The New York City Opera Project says the story is appealing because it combines travel, adventure and romance into one tale.PlotIn Merimee’s “Carmen,” a French archaeologist traveling in Spain meets the story’s two main characters: Don Jose, a Spanish soldier, and Carmen, whom Merimee describes as a Gypsy fortune-teller. In both the novella and the opera, Don Jose kills Carmen.OriginsAccording to the New York City Opera project, Merimee got his inspiration for the story in 1830 while visiting the Countess Montijo in Andalusia, Spain. She told him about a Gypsy woman killed by a jealous lover.EffectsBizet chose Merimee’s story when the co-directors of Paris’ Opera-Comique asked him to write a new opera in 187
