The Characters and Their Voices

We start again another of our in-Depth series, with one of the most popular operas ever: Carmen, by Georges Bizet.




The first Carmen was the French mezzo Célestine Galli-Marié. A real character, she was every bit as impetuous and determined woman as the Gypsy herself. She was 34 years old at the time of the premiere, and was a very good match for Carmen both singing and acting, with her voice that was described as that of a high mezzo.
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