Bizet’s opera Carmen premiered in Paris in 1875.
Georges Bizet’s four-act opera was first performed at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 3 March 1875. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on Prosper Mérimée’s 1845 novella Carmen. The story follows the free-spirited factory worker Carmen, the soldier Don José, and the bullfighter Escamillo.
Although the opera is set largely in Seville, Spain, its first performance took place in France. Its realistic characters, dangerous passions, and spoken dialogue challenged some expectations associated with the Opéra-Comique. The initial reception was mixed, but Carmen became one of the world’s most popular operas after Bizet’s death.
A frequent error is to answer Seville because the city is central to the plot. Seville is the main setting, while Paris is the city of the premiere and the Opéra-Comique is the specific theatre.