Carmen Suite (from the opera) - G. Bizet

Nowadays, Carmen is probably the most famous opera in the whole opera-repertoire, although its premiere in 1875 was a great disappointment because of the misunderstanding of the very realistic plot: the conservative and bourgeois Paris opera-public couldn't accept the independent and amoral character of Carmen, the leading figure of this Opera Lyrique. The public wanted to see the heavy emotions more on a distance by gods or noble personages, rather than by people of flesh and blood. Carmen was the first great realistic and naturalistic opera and an important predecessor of the Verismo-movement that dominated the Italian opera in the second half of the 19th century. This suite in 6 movements contains the most beautiful music from Bizet's Opera: Prelude, Chorus of the Street Urchins, Entr'acte I, Entr'acte II, Entr'acte III and the Gypsy Song