Georges Bizet’s opera set in Seville and featuring the toreador Escamillo is Carmen.
Carmen premiered at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 3 March 1875. Its French libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on Prosper Mérimée’s 1845 novella. The story centers on Carmen, a factory worker whose relationships with Don José and the bullfighter Escamillo lead to tragedy.
The opera is associated with several famous musical numbers, including the Habanera, the Seguidilla, and the Toreador Song. Escamillo sings the latter, whose French title is “Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre.” Although the opera is often described as Spanish in atmosphere, its composer and librettists were French, and Bizet never visited Spain.
Carmen’s first reception was mixed, partly because its subject matter and realistic characters challenged conventions at the Opéra-Comique. Its international reputation grew rapidly after Bizet’s death in 1875. The work is now among the most frequently performed operas worldwide. Carmen should not be confused with Massenet’s Manon, another French opera based on a literary heroine.