The image of the young Spanish gypsy Carmen was originally described in the novel of the same name by P. Merime in 1845. The general picture of the character of the fatal beauty is composed of men's book narratives.
The narrator meets a gypsy on the waterfront. The Frenchman has mixed feelings when looking at a servant of dark forces. He looks at her with interest, which stray into fear and alienation. The gloomy light, the background of a dark night river, gives tragedy and a gloomy atmosphere that will haunt the heroes throughout the story.
Georges Bizet, creation of the opera
Bizet began work on the opera in 1874. "Carmen" stage subsequently underwent major changes. The libretto was full of drama and deep emotional contrasts, the acting characters became more vivid. A colorful folk gypsy theme was added to the opera. The premiere of the Spanish life and love story took place in 1875, but was completely unsuccessful, since the concepts of morality of that time differed from those laid down in the opera.
The first who appreciated the image of the girl was Tchaikovsky. According to him, this masterpiece of Bidet reflects all the musical goals of the era. After 10 years, the picture "Carmen" is becoming increasingly popular and is gaining the hearts of viewers.
Bizet’s opera introduced the character into a gypsy. For this, the composer moved the scene of events to the square and to the unimaginably beautiful mountain expanses. Wild gorges and gloomy urban slums were replaced by the sunny streets of Seville. Bizet created Spain full of joyful life.
He placed in all places a mass of people who are in constant motion, depicting a happy life. An important shade of the opera was the inclusion of folk episodes. The gloomy features of the drama took on the appearance of an optimistic tragedy.
Bizet put the importance of affirming people's rights to the expression of freedom of feelings into the idea of ​​opera. The opera was a clash of two points of view of the psychological development of mankind. If Jose defends only a patriarchal view, then the gypsy is trying to prove that life in freedom, which is not constrained by the norms and dogmas of accepted morality in society, is much better and more beautiful.
Gypsy image of Carmen in the opera Carmen
Gypsy is one of the brightest heroines of opera life. Passionate temperament, female irresistibility and independence - all this literally screams in the image of Carmen. She has almost no connection with her literary heroine in the description. All this was done intentionally in order to reveal more passion in the heroine and to remove the cunning and thieves' habits of the book character. Moreover, Bizet gave her the opportunity to seek the right to gain her freedom with a tragic condition - the loss of her own life.
The opera overture is the initial description of Carmen’s musical image. Fatal passion is played out between the gypsy and the Spaniard Jose. The music resembles the leitmotif of the holiday of bullfighters, it is sharp and hot-tempered. Subsequently, this motif returns in dramatic scenes.
Portrait of spanish woman
The full image of Carmen is revealed through the famous Spanish Habanera dance, which is the progenitor of tango. Bizet created a whole gamut of languid, sensual, passionate movements to the real melody of Cuban freedom. This is not just a portrait of a hot gypsy, but also a story in movements about her desire to be free in her love - such is her position in life.
The characteristic of the girl is kept in a dance variation until the third act. This is a series of scenes with songs and dancing Spanish rhythms. Gypsy folklore complements the picture when an interrogation episode arrives. In it, Carmen performs a humorous gypsy song, she taunts and dares, singing one verse after another.
Hispanic gypsy character
A more meaningful description of Carmen’s image appears in the Spanish folk dance of Segidilla. Under the virtuoso play, the gypsy shows her peculiar Spanish character, and the composer compares the minor and major scale.
Plates, a tambourine and a triangle in the next action return the gypsy look to the image of Carmen. The growing dynamics of the pace gives the girl a perky, energetic and temperamental look.
The image of Carmen in a duet
Military guy Jose, in love with a gypsy girl, watches her songs and dances with castanet with joy in his eyes. The melody is quite simple, so Carmen sings it without using words. Jose admires the girl, but recalls his military duty as soon as he hears a call to the camp.
However, freedom-loving Carmen does not understand this affection, even after Jose's declaration of love, she does not cease to blame the guy. After the duet turns into a solo gypsy woman who wants to lure the young military man into her life, full of freedom. Here you can see a very simple and frivolous image of a passionate gypsy.
Great solo exit
Her solo performance occupies a large place in the opera. It is built on the themes of farewell to its duty and escape to their native lands. The second theme is accompanied by a tarantella dance, and the first by song motifs. As a result, all this turns into a kind of hymn to freedom.
However, the conflict is aggravated, and the more the girl’s experience grows, the deeper and more dramatic the image of Carmen becomes. The turning point occurs only during the aria in the divination scene. Carmen finally realizes that having exclusively selfish intentions to choose others under her will, she loses her own "I". For the first time, a gypsy thinks about how she burns her life.
The end of the opera
In a fortune-telling scene, the characterization of Carmen’s image has three forms. The first and last are funny songs with girlfriends, the second is a separate gypsy aria. The expressiveness of the performance of the aria is a hallmark of Carmen’s image in this phase of the opera. The song was originally put on performance in minor, without dance accompaniment. The low tones of the orchestra part, the gloomy coloring of which is achieved due to the sound of trombones, add an atmosphere of mourning. The wave principle of vocals is adjacent to the rhythmic pattern of musical accompaniment.
The gypsy performs the last act in duets with Escamillo, who brings the imprint of love to Carmen. The second duet is embodied with Jose, it resembles a tragic duel full of sorrow - it is the culmination of the entire opera Carmen. The image of Carmen is adamant to the pleas and threats of Jose. She replies dryly and succinctly to the military’s melodic songs. The theme of passion reappears in the orchestra.
The development of events takes place along a dramatic line with the invasion of the cries of outsiders. The opera finale ends with the death of Carmen during the celebration of Escamillo as a winner. Born in freedom, the gypsy decides to commit suicide and prove that she is also free in this choice. The festive sound of the theme of the march of bullfighters is compared with a fatal motive.