Name: Carmen
Start: 1967-07-29T00:00:00.000Z
End: 1967-08-28T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Großes Festspielhaus

Organization

Singer

Mezzo-soprano

Grace Bumbry

Carmen

Soprano

Mirella Freni

Michaela

Bass

Anton Diakov

Zuniga

Tenor

Milen Paunov

Remendado

Conductor

Herbert von Karajan

Stage director

Baritone

Justino Díaz

Escamillo

Salzburger Festspiele

Set designer

Teo Otto

Costume designer

Georges Wakhevitch

Jon Vickers

Don José

Robert Kerns

Morales

Olivera Miljakovic

Frasquita

Julia Hamari

Mercedes

Kurt Equiluz

Dancaire

Others

Salzburger Festspiele und Theater Kinderchor

Orchestra

Wiener Philharmoniker

Chor der Wiener Staatsoper

Ballet

Mariemma Ballett de Espana

Fraincis

Salzburg

Austria

Großes Festspielhaus

Herbert von Karajan conducts Bizet's eternally young "Carmen" in his production for the 1966 Salzburg Festival.

The gypsy Carmen, a worker in a cigarette factory, is adored by many. Only Don José, the sergeant, doesn't look at her. He loves Micaela. When Carmen injures a colleague with a knife, Lieutenant Zuniga gives Don José the order to take her to prison. She ensnares José, who lets her escape and has to go to prison in her place. Escamillo, the successful bullfighter, is enthusiastically received in a smugglers' bar. Trumpets call the soldiers, including Don José, who has since been released, to the barracks. Out of love for Carmen, José deserts and joins the smugglers. Carmen's feelings for José cool down quickly. The smugglers flee when customs officers arrive. José shoots at a supposed customs officer and, when he realizes that it is Escamillo, throws himself full of raging jealousy of his rival. Carmen can just separate the two. Escamillo appears in front of the bullring together with Carmen, enthusiastically cheered. José lurks a few steps away. All warnings are in vain. Carmen throws the ring he gave her at José's feet. Humiliated and desperate, José stabs the gypsy.

If Herbert von Karajan is still omnipresent in classical music, we owe this not only to his more than 800 LP and CD recordings, but also to the numerous video recordings that he has produced over the years, a whole series of them in collaboration with Unitel. As early as 1965, he began filming his performances with Puccini's "La Bohème". "Carmen" is based on his production for the 1966 Salzburg Festival with Grace Bumbry (one of the most outstanding Carmen interpreters of our time), John Vickers, Mirella Freni and Justino Diaz in the main roles. The history of what is perhaps the most popular opera in the world today began with a fiasco when it premiered in Paris in 1875. However, Peter Tchaikovsky, who was then in Paris, predicted that the opera would be a worldwide success within just ten years. It took a little longer, but for Bizet's great music this prophecy was bound to come true sooner or later!

Carmen Bizet

Public

Ollainnis

Approved

Accordionist

Instrumentalist

Archlutenist

Baroque Flutist

Baroque Oboist

Baroque Trumpetist

Bassist

Bassoonist

Cellist

Clarinetist

Contrabassist

Cornettist

Flutist

Guitarist

Harper

Harpsichordist

Hornist

Lutenist

Mandoline Player

Musette de cour Player

Oboist

Organist

Percussionist

Pianist

Recorder Player

Saxophonist

Tenor Violinist

Theorbist

Timpani

Trombonist

Trumpeter

Tuba Player

Vibraphonist

Viola Pomposa Player

Viola da gamba

Viola d’amore Player

Violinist

Violino Piccolo Player

Violist

Actor

Broadcasting

Choir

Choreographer

Chorus Director

Chorus master

Composer

Dancer

Dramaturge

Executive producer

Extra

Hairstylist

Illustrator

Librettist

Lighting designer

Makeup artist

Orchestra Operations

Other

Photographer

Poet

Repetiteur

Sound designer

Stage Manager

Teacher

Translator

Video designer

Vocal coach

Wig & Makeup Designer

Writer

Writing and performance

Contralto

Bass-baritone

Countertenor

Alto

Child vocalist

Continuo

Silent

Spoken

If you think you know the line-up with Bumbry, Vickers, Freni and Diaz from the film (Deutsche Grammophon) and the studio tape underneath, and don't need to listen to this live recording, which is incidentally the first complete festival recording by the ORF in stereo, you've got it greatly deceived. In the second year after the premiere in 1966, Karajan had evidently given free rein to his unerring instinct for dramatic arcs, lyrical pauses and cinemascope splendor with powerful sound images. It goes without saying that Carmen was played here in the then customary through-composed version, supplemented by Ernest Guiraud. Karajan was less interested in the opéra comique aspects of the score than in showing this realistic folk opera in grand opera style spiced with veristic drasticity. According to today's ideas, this may no longer be state of the art of performance tradition, but it is overwhelming from the first to the last moment. Perhaps at the beginning of the overture and in front of Lillas Pastia's bar in the second act, Karajan let it rip in a more Teutonic manner than in a champagne-like mousse. Among other things, heavenly lyricisms, infinitely delicately spun arches in Micaëla's arias and a breathtaking conclusion in the fourth act make up for this. However, Karajan is always a master of precisely set musical highlights, a sovereign master of all the orchestra and choir masses and a singer accompanist in a class of its own. Anyone who appreciates exciting music theater recordings from this golden era of opera will not be able to avoid this publication.

The cast that Karajan had at his disposal is in top form this evening and is of the very best down to the small parts anyway. Grace Bumbry is an ideal Carmen. Her broad and unbroken mezzo was characterized by a velvety dark middle register and a bright, radiant high register. As with a noble Bordeaux, the range of colors in the voice ranges from a ruby-black depth to a brick-red to light orange-sunny top location. With purely vocal means, Bumbry is able to illuminate all the emotional contradictions and the proud stubbornness of the cigarette-smoking factory worker. Be it seduction, opportunistic striving for happiness, irrational spontaneity, irrepressible lust for life or stubbornly running into ruin, Bumbry finds the right tone for all of this, she can draw music-dramatic expression from the baroque-bulging cornucopia of her vocal possibilities.

Ein Glücksfall ist die Kombination mit dem kanadischen Heldentenor Jon Vickers als kopflos-höriger Don José.  Vickers kann seinem Rollenporträt eines sensibel verletzlichen Mannes die unheimlich lauernde Kraft und die eifersüchtige Elementarwucht eines Otello hinzufügen. Zu der für ihn typischen rauchig verhangenen Mittellage gesellt sich ein eruptiv naturgewaltiges hohes Register, das etwa seinem Tristan oder seinem Äneas solch unverwechselbares Profil gaben. Das Schlussduett, wenn Vickers nach seinem tränenerstickten geschluchzten „Carmen verlass mich nicht“ in elementaren Vernichtungsmodus kippt, gehört zu den großen eindringlichen Momenten der auf Tonträger gebannten  Operngeschichte. Als perfekter stimmlicher Kontrast zu den beiden Protagonisten ergänzen die zärtliche innige Micaëla der Mirella Freni sowie der virile Justino Diaz als Escamillo eine Besetzung, die auch mit der wunderbaren Olivera Miljakovich (Frasquita), Julia Hamari (Mercédès), Anton Diaskov (Zuniga) und Robert Kerns(Moralés) cannot be called less than brilliant.

Die Wiener Philharmoniker spielen großteils auf höchstem Niveau, wie sie es halt tun, wenn sie von einem großen Dirigenten gefordert werden. Der Hörer kann sich an einer Orgie an Orchesterfarben berauschen. Das Blech lässt es allerdings manchmal grob tuschen. 

in detail and in personal memory of the performance Gottfried Kraus in the booklet, which, as always with ORFEO, is well documented and rich in images. In terms of sound, the original tapes could be used, which is an enormous advantage over the unauthorized versions that also existed on this famous recording. Indispensable for melomaniacs!

English

Inhalt
Herbert von Karajan dirigiert Bizets ewig junge "Carmen" in seiner Produktion für die Salzburger Festspiele von 1966.

Die Zigeunerin Carmen, Arbeiterin in einer Zigarettenfabrik, wird von vielen umschwärmt. Nur Don José, der Sergeant, würdigt sie keines Blickes. Er liebt Micaela. Als Carmen eine Kollegin mit dem Messer verletzt, gibt Leutnant Zuniga Don José den Befehl, sie ins Gefängnis zu bringen. Sie umgarnt José, der sie entfliehen läßt und an ihrer Stelle ins Gefängnis muß. In einer Schmugglerkneipe wird Escamillo, der erfolgreiche Stierkämpfer, begeistert empfangen. Trompeten rufen die Soldaten, auch den inzwischen wieder freigelassenen Don José in die Kaserne. Aus Liebe zu Carmen desertiert José und schließt sich den Schmugglern an. Carmens Gefühle für José kühlen schnell ab. Die Schmuggler fliehen als Zöllner kommen. José schießt auf einen vermeintlichen Zöllner und stürzt sich, als er erkennt, daß es sich um Escamillo handelt, voll rasender Eifersucht auf den Rivalen. Carmen kann die beiden gerade noch trennen. Escamillo erscheint zusammen mit Carmen stürmisch umjubelt vor der Stierkampfarena. Wenige Schritte entfernt lauert José. Alle Warnungen sind vergeblich. Carmen schleudert José den Ring, den er ihr geschenkt hat, vor die Füße. Gedemütigt und verzweifelt ersticht José die Zigeunerin.

Wenn Herbert von Karajan nach wie vor in der klassischen Musik allgegenwärtig ist, so verdanken wir dies nicht nur seinen über 800 Schallplatten- und CD-Einspielungen, sondern auch den zahlreichen Videoaufnahmen, die er im Laufe der Jahre produzierte, eine ganze Reihe davon in Zusammenarbeit mit Unitel. Mit Puccinis "La Bohème" begann er bereits 1965, seine Aufführungen im Film festzuhalten. Die "Carmen" basiert auf seiner Produktion für die Salzburger Festspiele von 1966 mit Grace Bumbry (einer der hervorragendsten Carmen-Interpretinnen unserer Zeit), John Vickers, Mirella Freni und Justino Diaz in den Hauptpartien. Die Geschichte der heute vielleicht populärsten Oper der Welt begann bei der Uraufführung von 1875 in Paris mit einem Fiasko. Peter Tschaikowski, der sich damals in Paris aufhielt, sagte der Oper jedoch innerhalb von nur zehn Jahren weltweiten Erfolg

Deutsch

Carmen by Bizet, Lua 14 Lúna 1967, Ó (1967/1967), Faoi stiúir Herbert von Karajan,, Seoltóir Herbert von Karajan, Großes Festspielhaus, Salzburg, Austria

Creidmheasanna feidhmíochta (Foireann & Criú )

Caitheadh

Criú

Ensemble

Clár, Eolas & Achoimre

Grianghraif

Tuilleadh léitheoireachta

Dátaí & Ionaid Feidhmíochta

Ionaid