​Our group had its first meeting to see Bizet’s opera Carmen which was first written and produced in 1875. When first performed in Paris it shocked the audiences and was not initially a success as it was the first of what would become the “new realism” in opera. It was a contemporary  story about a modern soldier of the guard, Don Jose, who became entranced by a fiery gypsy woman who worked in a cigarette factory. He let her escape after she was charged with fighting and was demoted and imprisoned for his neglect of duty. When released he went to find Carmen at a tavern where her gypsy compatriots met to plot their smuggling trade. She forced him to join them if he wished to remain with her.   He later regretted this when she left him for a toreador and he stabbed her outside the arena where the bull fighting took place.
 
The new and exciting tenor, Jonas Kaufman was a splendid Don Jose, while Anna Antonacci sang and acted the role of Carmen with thrilling passion.  This Decca version was filmed at Covent Garden, London and is one of the best DVDs of Carmen available.