French mezzo-soprano Clémentine Margaine stars as Bizet’s immortal Gypsy heroine. Tenor Marcelo Álvarez is her hapless soldier Don José, and newcomer Maria Agresta—a sensation in her debut in La Bohème last season—is the devoted Micaëla, who fights to save him. Asher Fisch, Louis Langrée, and Derrick Inouye share conducting duties.
Bizet’s masterpiece of the gypsy seductress who lives by her own rules has had an impact far beyond the opera house. The opera’s melodic sweep is as irresistible as the title character herself, a force of nature who has become a defining female cultural figure. Carmen was a scandal at its premiere but soon after became a triumphal success and has remained one of the most frequently staged operas in the world.