Carmen Suites Nos. 1 & 2

Incredible as it seems today, Bizet's opera Carmen was coolly received at its 1875 premiere at the Paris Opera-Comique; critics condemned its subject matter as lurid and its music as overly Wagnerian. Now hailed as thecomposer's supreme achievement, this colourful, passionate work continues to delight listeners around the world with its emotional, atmospheric music and the originality of its conception.