Bizet: Carmen Suites Nos. 1 and 2 / L'Arlesienne Suites Nos. 1 and 2
10/6/1995, 19 Tracks, 1:09:24
Featuring
Alfred Walter
Philharmonia Cassovia
Georges Bizet
Did you know?
1/7
Composition History
L'Arlésienne, another work by Bizet from which a suite is presented, was a collaboration with writer Alphonse Daudet in 1872, aiming to revive the melodrama form.
Critical Reception
It is difficult to understand the initial relative failure of Bizet's opera Carmen when it was first staged in Paris in 1875, as the story shocked audiences.
Critical Reception
Bizet's opera Carmen, from which these suites are drawn, had a profound effect on the public, arousing both enthusiasm and hostility at its premiere.
Composition History
The second L'Arlésienne suite was arranged by Bizet's friend Ernest Guiraud after the composer's death, as the first suite was drawn by Bizet himself from the incidental music.
Composer Biography
Bizet, the composer, won the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1857, which allowed him to study in Rome.
Critical Reception
The theatrical production of L'Arlésienne was initially unsuccessful, partly because the audience expected a straight play and objected to the music, which some critics labeled 'Wagnerian'.
Composer Biography
Georges Bizet, the composer of these suites, was born in 1838 to musical parents who encouraged his interest in music by hiding books from him.
