Welcome Students and Teachers to Opera Online!! Students in the Opera Company of Philadelphia's Sounds of Learning program saw the final dress rehearsal of Bizet's Carmen on Wednesday, September 28th, 2011 at the Academy of Music.
In our final Carmen webisode we ask you, students and teachers, to pick your favorite scene from Carmen. The videos of the top five scenes are listed below. Vote for your favorite!
1) Habenera
This aria has become one of the most popular opera songs for a reason. This sexy, siren song comes from the first Act of the opera, where Carmen seduces the the crowd and catches the eye of Don Jose.
2)The Gypsy song
As fiery introduction to the second Act, this aria leaves you stomping and clapping along with the passionate dancers. As Carmen weaves her seductive spell at Lillas' Pastias she entices the women and the orchestra to dance along.
3) Toreador Song
This aria, full of bravado, is the only song appropriate for the entrance of Escamillo, the famous bullfighter.
4) The Flower Song
Don Jose's passionate confession to Carmen in the second Act, makes the flower song one of the most romantic arias in the opera.
5) Finale
The intense final scene of the opera is where fate finally finds Carmen and Don Jose.
Vote for your favorite scene! If you don't see your favorite listed let us know what you think is the best song/scene in the opera!
What do you think?
Carmen is a very controversial opera that sparks a lot of interesting questions. We've gotten a lot of feedback from teachers and students who left the opera discussing the moral issues of the story. We want to hear your opinion on some of the most frequently discussed questions:
Did Carmen deserve to die?
Who is the "good guy" in the opera? Carmen? Don Jose? Escamillo?
Who is the story about- Carmen or Don Jose?
Post your opinion!
Opening Night Philadelphia! 
Want to see Carmen again? On September 30, at 8 PM the Opera Company of Philadelphia is hosting a free, public simulcast of the opening night of Bizet’s Carmen at the historic Independence Hall. Come listen to world-class opera in Philadelphia's most iconic public places. Bring a blanket and a pinic and join us for opening night under the stars! Click here to register and learn more about this performance!
Until Next Week!
Comments
In Carmen most of the play is singing. Instead of talking most of the time, they sang. That is how they expressed themselves. I think in most of the songs the tempo was pretty slow. But the beats were also fast. Like, in some parts of the song it would be pretty fast for about two seconds without a break. And then in other parts it was really slow. I think the tempo definitely varied in Carmen. Although most of the measured beats were pretty slow with long breaks. So my review of Carmen and the tempo are, it was very interesting and the tempo and Carmen was great and really planned out.
CKU-BCMS
I thought that the instrumental elements of the opera kind of brought you in and got you more interested in the plot. It enhanced the opera noticeably. The compositions were suspenseful and dramatic. They fit the opera very well. There were also many changes in dynamics. Without the instrumental elements of the opera, it would be harder to understand the mood at the current time. One very easily-identified piece was the Habenera
My favorite scene was the final scene.
My favorite scene was when Carmen "gave" Don Jose the flower. It was how she convinced him that he had to love her was funny because he believed it. Carmen also sings a lot in that scene, it is amazing how she can make her voice so loud.
My favorite scene fro the opera was the final scene. I liked it because it was the most action packed scene.
My favorite scene was the Habenera.
I think that the best scene in the opera Carmen was the very beginning because Carmen made an amazing appearance, and the fight was very realistic. I actually thought that Carmen slashed the other person in real life, not just in the opera!
The End
I think that the best scene in the opera Carmen was the finale. It was really exciting. It was realistic. I thought that she really was stabbed by Don Jose. Though, it was sad that She died.