Carmen

In the organizer's words:

Opéra comique in four acts | Libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy based on the novella of the same name by Prosper Mérimée | In French with German surtitles

Duration: 3 hours | 1 intermission | ages 15 and up

Carmen's greatest asset is her freedom. She never wants to submit to the constraints of society. The conformist Sergeant Don José is fascinated by this woman who simply takes what she wants. He gives up everything for her, his childhood sweetheart Micaëla, his position in the military and even joins a gang of smugglers. He is obsessed with Carmen, who soon loses interest in him and falls for the death-defying bullfighter Escamillo. José is desperate and wants Carmen back at all costs. Georges Bizet scored a real coup with his "Carmen" in 1875. The piece is still one of the most frequently performed operas of all time. Beguiling melodies and rousing rhythms meet a strong heroine. She is the antithesis of the passive, self-sacrificing female characters that the opera world knew in the 19th century.

Australian director Lindy Hume, who has already staged "Don Pasquale" and "La Cenerentola" at Leipzig Opera, does not see Carmen as the man-killing vamp she is often portrayed as, but as a self-determined woman. She draws parallels between Carmen and Don Giovanni: both characters are ahead of their time in their independence and welcome death as the final expression of their unconditional desire for freedom.