View the seat map for the date and time of the performance you would like to attend for available locations. You may purchase tickets for wheelchair, removable armrest and companion seat locations at the box office, by phone (21), online or by mail. What access and parking is available for visitors with disabilities? The libretto is based on a novella by Prosper Mérimée (1803–1870), a French dramatist, historian, and archaeologist. His collaborator on Carmen was Ludovic Halévy (1834–1908), the nephew of composer Jacques Fromental Halévy (creator of the opera La Juive and Bizet’s father-in-law). Librettist Henri Meilhac (1831–1897) would subsequently provide the libretto for Massenet’s Manon (1884). Georges Bizet (1838–1875) was known as a brilliant student and prodigy, but his works only found lasting success after his untimely death-most notably Carmen, which premiered three months before he died. Carmen was a scandal at its premiere but soon after became a triumphal success and has remained one of the most frequently staged operas in the world. The opera’s melodic sweep is as irresistible as the title character herself, a force of nature who has become a defining female cultural figure. World premiere: Opéra Comique, Paris, 1875. Bizet’s masterpiece of the gypsy seductress who lives by her own rules has had an impact far beyond the opera house. Dan Ettinger and Louis Langrée share conducting duties. Tenor Marcelo Álvarez is her hapless soldier Don José, and newcomer Maria Agresta-a sensation in her debut in La Bohème in the current Met season-is the devoted Micaëla, who fights to save him.

Two French mezzo-sopranos, Sophie Koch and Clémentine Margaine, alternate as Bizet’s immortal heroine. Carmen at The Metropolitan Opera Opening – Feb 18 2017

Carmen opera nyc