Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen received its premiere in 1875.
The first performance took place on 3 March 1875 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. The opera was based on Prosper Mérimée’s 1845 novella about Carmen, a free-spirited tobacco-factory worker in Seville, and Don José, the soldier whose life is transformed by her.
Carmen was initially controversial because its subject matter and realistic characters differed from the more sentimental conventions associated with the Opéra-Comique. Bizet died only a few months after the premiere, before the work became an international success.
The opera is now one of the most frequently performed works in the standard repertory. Its famous numbers include the “Habanera,” the “Seguidilla,” and the “Toreador Song.” A common mix-up is to confuse the premiere year with 1874, when Bizet was still revising the score and preparing the production.