With a devilish sway of the hips and a hint of Andalusian flair, Carmen, the beautiful cigar-maker sets her sights on a soldier: Don José. Fate will do the rest. Composed to a libretto by Meilhac and Halévy based on Prosper Mérimée’s novella, the opera exploded the boundaries between tragedy and comedy with a modernity that caused a scandal at the time. Can we kill the one we love with love? The fiery beauty of Bizet’s music, where one unforgettable aria follows another, has worked year in, year out to make it the world’s most performed opera.

Bizet: Carmen

The first words uttered by Carmen mark one of the greatest entrances in the history of opera and express all that need be said: “Love is a rebellious bird that no one can tame…” With a devilish sway of the hips and a hint of Andalusian flair, the beautiful cigar-maker sets her sights on a soldier: Don José. Fate will do the rest.

Carmen - Opéra National de Paris

A tragic story of love and society ramped up to fever pitch by Verdi, La Traviata (literally the “the woman who strayed”) is one of the most popular works in the entire history of opera. This new production features Jérémie Rhorer, conducting his ensemble Le Cercle de l’Harmonie, who has decided to perform Verdi’s work - probably for the first time in Paris - in the original 432 Hz tuning in which it was composed and which Verdi consistently proclaimed was its “natural harmony”. The cast assembled here brings together the pick of the talented crop of “thirty-something” French singers which has blossomed in recent seasons. British director Deborah Warner, who is steeped in Shakespearian theatre tradition which is unrivalled for its exploration of the world of passions, treachery and the whole gamut of human situations, stages this production.

Verdi: La Traviata

This Blu-ray is a splendid record of a creative production with terrific voices and direction, as good as the Met's videos any day. It also tends to be creepy and atmospheric, with music as good as anything Gounod wrote for his FAUST. Recommended to lovers of horror and opera!