Bizet: Carmen;

EMI Classics studio opera recording of Bizet s Carmen
marks the 10th anniversary of the artistic dreamteam
partnership of Sir Simon Rattle and the Berliner
Philharmoniker. Sir Simon Rattle, who recently appeared
at the 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony in London
conducting the London Symphony Orchestra, directs the
Berliner Philharmoniker in this incredible interpretation
of the Oeser edition, as used in Vienna in 1964, of this
timeless opera. This fascinating performance features a
stellar cast of soloists, including Magdalena Kozená in
the title role and Jonas Kaufmann as Don José.
Bizet s Carmen tells the story of the mesmeric but
ultimately fatal attraction of the gypsy girl Carmen,
and the tragedy of Don José, who falls in love, but is
ultimately rejected. Unable to live in a world without
her, Don José kills Carmen, to the accompaniment of
the triumphs of her new lover, the bullfighter, Escamillo.
Carmen is packed with some of the most familiar and
striking melodies ever written, including Carmen s
Habanera, Séguedille, Chanson bohème , Don José s
poignant Flower Song and Escamillo s swaggering
Toreador Song.
With more than 32 years and 250 works - Sir Simon
Rattle is an exclusive EMI artist and many of his
recordings, principally with the Berliner Philharmoniker,
the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the
Wiener Philharmoniker, have been ground-breaking
and award-winning. Rattle has received three Grammy
Awards in the United States, three Classical Brit and
Gramophone Awards in the UK and two Echo Klassik
Awards in Germany to date.