Bizet's Carmen at Teatro Aurora, Firenze‐Scandicci

About the Event

Experience opera like never before in this astonishing performance of Bizet's masterwork at the remarkable Cinema Teatro Aurora in Firenze‐Scandicci.

Carmen declares that any man she loves should beware. But even she is not prepared for what happens when she decides to seduce Don José, an army corporal who at first seems uninterested in her charms.
Don José soon abandons his lover Micaëla and his work in the army for Carmen and joins her and her smuggler friends in the mountains. But Carmen quickly tires of Don José's possessiveness. When she gives her attention to the dashing toreador Escamillo, Don José's jealousy erupts in violence.

Georges Bizet

Georges Bizet devoted his relatively short life of 36 years to the musical theatre. The opera Carmen, pearl of his oeuvre, is still one of the most frequently performed operas in the world. He was born in 1838 into a musically educated family – his father was a singing teacher and his mother a professional piano player. At the age of 4, young George could already read notes and play the piano, and six years later he became enrolled at the Paris Conservatory. After finishing his studies, Bizet won the prestigious Prix de Rome for his cantata Clovis et Clotilde, that allowed him to work solely on his own compositions for five years. He spent four rather carefree years in Italy from 1857 to 1860 where he travelled, composed and developed his talent. After coming back to Paris, he faced struggles and found it very difficult to achieve recognition for his music. In order to make a living, he gave private lessons, composed light entertaining music and made arrangements of piano works by other composers. In fact, he could have easily become a successful pianist as he was a virtuoso piano player and once impressed Franz Liszt himself with the performance of one of Liszt’s piano compositions. But Georges Bizet did not look for a way to make easy money and was adamant about his intention to only compose music.

In 1872 he wrote two operas, Djamileh and L’Arlesienne, which were received very coldly but now are considered to be a representation of Bizet’s artistic maturity. Soon before his death in 1875, Carmen premiered in the Opera Comique, but the audience’s verdict was rather negative. Never having witnessed public acclaim during his life, George Bizet now is one of the most famous opera composers in history.

Practical Information

Free seating in rows 4‐6 with best view.

To enter the venue, all guests must show the Green Pass.

Cast / Production

Carmen – Alessandra Masini
Don José – Vladimir Reutov
Escamillo – Franco Rossi
Micaela – Lucia Conte
Morales – Ricardo Crampton
Zuniga – Max Medero
Mercedes – Cinzia Borsotti
Frasquita – Veronica Senserini
Remendado – Claudio Giovani
Concertmaster – Domenico Camera
Ensemble il Contrappunto
Director – Franz Moser
Costume Designer – Sara Bianchi
Chorus & Opera Company Florence