"O ma Carmen" : Bizet's fateful gypsy in portrayals from 1875 to the present

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Where to find it

Music Library

Call Number
ML410.B62 V57 2017
Status
Available

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Summary

"Qu'est-ce que c'est?" (What is it?) mezzo-soprano Celestine Galli-Marie asked when offered the title role in the 1875 premier of Bizet's new opera, Carmen. She was only the first in a long line of performers to ask. In the 140+ years since, each singer has crafted her own portrayal of the inscrutable Gypsy. The famous soprano Geraldine Farrar wrote: "Each one of us probably sees something that the others have not seen--or thinks she does--and that 'something' is her individual Carmen." This book explores the history of operatic portrayals of Bizet's elusive enchantress, tracing the development of vocal and dramatic interpretations from generation to generation around the globe.

Contents

  • Acknowledgments p. ix
  • Introduction p. 1
  • 1 "What Is It?" p. 9
  • 2 Breaking Away p. 21
  • 3 North, South, East, West p. 31
  • 4 Home Again p. 41
  • 5 Emma Calvé and the New Realism p. 56
  • 6 More Than the Singing p. 66
  • 7 Farrar, Film and Psychology p. 78
  • 8 In the Time of Dictators p. 87
  • 9 American Idyll p. 102
  • 10 Sea Change p. 116
  • 11 100 and Counting p. 133
  • 12 Game Change p. 148
  • Appendix A Alphabetical Listing of Singers Mentioned in the Text p. 165
  • Appendix B Chronology of Premieres and Significant Performances p. 172
  • Appendix C Discography p. 177
  • Appendix D Videography p. 185
  • Chapter Notes p. 188
  • Bibliography p. 201
  • Index p. 209

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