The realists claimed it as a model, especially for its dramatic clarity and the passionate intensity of its protagonists. Carmen, the archetype of the liberated woman, flies in the face of the traditional codes of behaviour. Carmen, the dream role of every mezzo-soprano, is more than a seductress, she ranks with Orpheus, Faust and Don Juan in the Pantheon of mythical characters.

Come and discover, or rediscover, a work, which enjoyed a tremendous success, when it was first performed and which has generated a number of theatrical and cinematographic adaptations. This is a new chance to get to know Robert Carsen and William Christie once again, as they continue their long and fruitful collaboration.

Presenting the original version of 1869, means meeting a tsar, an ambivalent person, both a powerful man and yet an unhappy one. Mussorgsky has composed not only an opera, but also a popular musical drama.