69 CARMEN* Opera in four acts. Music by Georges Bizet Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy based on a novella by Prosper Mérimée of the same name First performed in Paris at the Opéra-Comique on March 3, 1875 CHARACTERS Moralas {morales}, an officer: baritone Micaela {mikae'lal, a peasant girl: soprano Zuniga [zyniga}, a licutenant of dragoons: bass Don José, [6 302], a corporal of dragoons: tenor Carmen {karmen}, a gypsy girl: mezzo soprano Mercéd’s (merse'des], gypsy companion of Carmen: mezzo-soprano Frasquita {fraskital, gypsy companion of Carmen: soprano ‘Remendado [remendaldo], a smuggler: tenor Dancairo [dakairo}, a smuggler: baritone Escamillo (eskamijo], a bullfighter: baritone Cigarette girls, Dragoons, an Inkeeper, Smugglers, Dancers, Bullfighters, Picadors, Matador’s Assistants, Policemen, Ladies and Gentlemen of Seville, Beggars, Street Vendors ‘The action takes place in Seville, Spain, sometime around about 1820. ‘THE PLOT ACT I A public square in Soville ‘A company of dragoons is lounging in the plaza, watching people go by. The officer on guard, Morals, tries to flirt with Micaela, a shy young gitl who has come looking for the brigadier Don José. Micaela leaves as the dragoons insist that she stay with them. Followed by a troop of street urchins, the relief guard marches in, among them Don José. Girls from the cigarette factory saunter out for their noon-time break. Carmen, a gypsy, appears last and is immediately surrounded by admiring men, to whom she sings of the fickleness of love. Piqued by Don José's indifference, she throws a flower at him and goes back into the factory with the other women. Micaela returns to give Don José a loving message from his mother. When she modestly withdraws, José vows to marry her as his mother had wished. Suddenly there is an uproar in the cigarette factory and the girls pour out, saying that Carmen has wounded a fellow-worker. Brought before Zuniga, Don José's captain, Carmen defiantly resists arrest. José is given the task of binding her and leading her to prison. She promises José a rendezvous if he will loosen her bonds. The infatuated José agrees, provided she will meet him later at the inn of Lillas Pasta, in the outskirts of Seville. At the right moment she pushes José to the ground and escapes. Don José is sent to prison, This ie the most commonly used version of Carmen, with the rectatives by Guiraud. After much experimentation with the Opérm Comique version with spoken dilogue, non French impresario decided that it was too long, and that noo-French singers simply coulda't handle thet much dialogue: Freach impresaris themselves have decided that the dialogue interrupts the flow of the music, even when spoken by French singers. The present version is starting to have more currency again, and {ts the one Ihave chosen to do.70 ACT IL ‘The Inn of Lillas Pastia In Lillas Pastia's tavern near the walls of Seville, Carmen and her friends Frasquita and Mercédés describe the joys of gypsy life. The bullfighter Escamillo enters with his party, and he recounts his adventures in the bullring: he soon becomes enamored of Carmen. All leave except the gypsy and her friends, who are persuaded by the smugglers Remendado and Dancairo to join them on a mountain trek to engage in smuggling “business'. Don José enters, now free from prison, where he had been incarcerated for letting Carmen escape. Carmen dances for him but is furious when the bugle is heard. announcing “return to camp" and José expresses his desire to obey it. Clinging fecbly to his military obligations, he protests his passion for Carmen, showing her the flower she had thrown at him which he has kept all through his time in prison. Carmen insists that if he loved her he would join their band of smugglers. José refuses to desert, but when Zuniga enters, hoping for a rendezvous with Carmen, and orders him back to the barracks the two fight; The gypsies run in and disarm Zuniga. José now has only one way out: to throw in his lot with the gypsies. ACT In A wild mountain pass ‘The smugglers and gypsies pause in a mountain pass. Despite his shame José still adores Carmen, but she is tiring of him, and is now obsessed with the handsome bullfighter. Frasquita and Mercédes read their fortune in the cards. When Carmen deals the cards she finds only death. As the smugglers carry off their contraband, a terrified Micaela approaches in search of José. She hides as Escamillo arrives, looking for Carmen. There is a scene in which Escamillo questions José about a certain gypsy girl. ‘When it emerges that Escamillo is talking about Carmen, a furious battle ensues between the torero and the jealous José. The duel is stopped by Carmen. The torero leaves after issuing a general invitation to the bullfight in Seville, and the others are about to resume their march when Micaélla is discovered. José agrees to go with her when she reveals that his mother is dying. He then menacingly warms Carmen that they will meet again. ACTIV Outside the bullring in Seville In a festive Seville square a happy crowd gathers for the bullfight. Guests in a loggia overlooking the ‘square are entertained by dancers, after which they crowd the rail to watch the colorful procession entering the arena. _ Escamillo arrives with Carmen on his arm. ‘They vow their love to each other. Carmen's two gypsy friends warn her that José is lurking about, but she fearlessly goes to moet him. He is dishevelled and in a state of great agitation. He pleads with Carmen to go back to him, but to no avail. ‘When Escamillo’s triumph echoes from the arena, Carmen rushes toward the entrance. José bars her way and violently demands that she follow him. She takes the ring he had given her and flings it to the ground, In a paroxysm of jealousy, José stabs her, surrendering in anguish to the onrushing policemen.Carmen, Act I ACTI ‘A public square in Seville 7 (To one side is tho entrance of a cigarette factory, to tho other side, a guardhouse with soldiers loitering ‘about. People are coming and going.) NO. 2 CHORUS OF DRAGOONS ‘sr ‘la phase farkee ‘pasce Jatkee Sur Ia place chacun asso, chacun On the square everyone —passes by, everyone ‘drole ‘doe 30 ‘koe 'se ‘wa Droles do gens que ses gens, Droll people those people there. MORALES: ae portee “dy kor ‘doe ‘garde A Ia porte du comps do garde At the — door of the corps. of | guard pur tye eta pour tuer lo temps, to Kill, the ‘time, 8 tym 8 sazce 10 reegardce on fume, on —_ jase, Ton —_rogarde we smoke, we chat, we watch poise te paisa passer Jes passants. going by the _—_passers-by. (we watch the passers-by.) wie fake va viont, chacun va; ‘comes, everyone goes; (After a fow moments Micaela enters. She wears a blue skirt and has braids that reach her shoulders. reegarde ‘43 ‘setce _portitee ‘ki “stbloe wilwar Rogardez donc cette _potite qui somble vouloir Look at then that pretty girl who seems to want wwaje ‘ele ‘tumee ‘— dezite Voyez, ello toume, elle “hésite. Look,’ she is tuming, she _hesitates. ‘THE DRAGOONS a0 scrkur ‘fe ate A son secours il faut aller. To her help we must go. MORALES (to Micaela) ‘koe ere vu ‘a ele Que cherchez-vous, la bolle? What are you looking for, my pretty? She is hesitant, somewhat embarassed, and searches among the soldiers with her eyes.) MORALES (to the soldiers) ‘nu parile nous parlor. to talk to us.72 MICAELA ‘mwa ye Jet, Moi, je chercho Me, I am looking for MORALES se yi Tawa Je suis ‘la! Voila! IT am__ here! Voila! MICAELA ‘md brigatdje Vamwa Mon brigadier, A moi, My brigadier (mine) MORALES: ‘0 ore Don Joss, Don Joss, MICAELA vrema Vraiment, Really, MORALES: dhe west He is ‘me kone’'sd connaissons tous. nous lo we him = know (All of us know him.) etl ave vu estil avec vous, Ishe with you, ‘pa pes brigadior not brigadier MICAELA (disappointed) alor Allors Then MORALES ‘20 ma Non, ma No, my me tutalleer ‘ile infest pas he isnot farmace il charmants, il charming one, he mais tout athoure ily but verysoon = he~—here. ‘i i a y He here roplasce'ra romplacora will replace sexta a ‘sora quand will be when ta ‘garde Ia garde the guard Carmen, Act I Je brigatdje un brigadier. a _ brigadier. sapele "8 zee kone Seppelle Don José, le connaissez vous? iscalled Don José, him do you know? ‘us all of us. se price je vous prie? 1 you beg? 8 ‘notice Kopatnioe dans notre compagnie. in our company. ta a here. ‘ne ‘pa a niost pas Ma, is not here, mototce montanto arriving desedatce descendante. leaving, (He will be here when the troop of new guards replaces the old one.) CHORUS ILy sora quand la garde montante remplacora la garde descondante.