CARMEN

Danced classic

All good things come in threes, they say. And in this case, the saying could not be more apt. With the danced production of Carmen, we celebrate the third German premiere in 2026 with one of the most famous lovers in world literature and together with the great choreographer Enrique Gasa Valga and his Limonada Dance Company.

A symbol of passion & rebellion

Enrique Gasa Valga approaches the iconic figure of Carmen in his very own way. In his production, he interweaves elements of Prosper Mérimée's literary model with motifs from Bizet's opera and develops an independent choreographic narrative form from them. He sees Carmen not just as a dramatic figure, but as a symbol of passion, rebellion and the longing for freedom. With clear movements, intense images and an emotionally charged body language, he creates a stage experience that makes the material tangible in an unusual, immediate way.

Opera meets flamenco

Gasa Valga's use of music is particularly striking. Instead of relying on a purely classical realization, he draws on a multi-layered soundscape: in addition to well-known arrangements of Bizet's famous melodies, he also incorporates traditional Spanish musical styles - such as flamenco, folk songs or rhythmic elements from the Andalusian cultural area. The result is a lively musical texture that grounds the story and at the same time opens up new emotional spaces. This combination of classical opera tradition and folkloric sounds reflects the inner conflict of the main character: the tension between social order and individual freedom, between convention and instinct. Gasa Valga makes targeted use of this musical diversity to enhance the emotional depth of his interpretation of Carmen and to make the characters tangible in all their contradictions.

World-famous thanks to Georges Bizet

The novella Carmen by Prosper Mérimée, published in 1845, laid the foundation for the great success. He was inspired by a story that was allegedly told to him by the Countess Maria Manuela de Montijo during a trip to Spain. Mérimée turned the character into a freedom-loving gypsy - mysterious and unpredictable. However, Carmen only became world-famous through the opera by Georges Bizet, which premiered in Paris in 1875. The libretto by Ludovic Halévy and Henri Meilhac took some liberties: Characters such as Carmen's husband Garcia were deleted, others such as Micaela were reinvented. The bullfighter Escamillo - only a minor character in the novella - was also developed into a central role. Since then, Carmen has not only become a literary figure, but also a musical myth - the sound of her name immediately brings melodies to mind.