The Royal Opera | Carmen
Sun 6.12.
Natlab, Eindhoven
The Royal Opera presents Bizet's classic opera Carmen at Natlab in Eindhoven.
Carmen
About
Carmen is an opera by French composer Georges Bizet, first performed on 3 March 1875 at the Opéra-Comique in Paris. The libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy draws on Prosper Mérimée's 1845 novella of the same name. Bizet died just three months after the premiere, aged 36, never knowing his final opera would become the most frequently performed in the world. The story follows the free-spirited Carmen and the soldier Don José, whose obsessive love for her ends in tragedy.
#1
Most performed French opera worldwide (Operavision / Opera North)
698
Performances in the 2017/2018 season (Operabase data)
600+
Performances in the repertoire of the Royal Opera House London
150
Year ago the opera premiered (1875)
What's new
- 2026-06
Opera Ballet Vlaanderen brings in June 2026 a large-scale new production of Carmen directed by Wim Vandekeybus, with the full symphony orchestra, ten soloists and the choir.
- 2026-03
Opera Compact presents Carmen during Cultura Nova 2026 in Hulsberg, in a new production by Eva Custers, with the audience on stands in the sand of the Equine Park.
- 2025-12
Introdans revives its successful dance adaptation of Carmen in the winter months of 2025-2026, with a tour through twenty Dutch theaters.
- 2025-03
OPERA2DAY presents La Révolution de Carmen in The Hague, a new version that relocates the story to the Parisian civil war of the nineteenth century.
- 2025-05
According to Operabase data on the 21st century, Carmen is the only French opera in the global top 20 of most performed works.
Tour
AntwerpenBruggeHulsbergApeldoornSittardGoudaAmersfoortRotterdamZwolleUtrechtMaastrichtLeeuwardenDen BoschEnschedeEindhovenDen Haag
Tracks
Habanera ("L'amour est un oiseau rebelle")The most famous aria from Carmen, sung by the title role in the first act
Toreadorlied ("Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre")Escamillo's showstopper, one of the most recognizable arias in opera history
La fleur que tu m'avais jetéeDon José's lyrical 'Flower Song' from the second act
Seguidilla ("Près des remparts de Séville")Carmen's seduction aria from the first act
Ouverture & Entr'actesOrchestral highlights that are also performed independently outside the opera itself
Upcoming · 2
Past · 3
Carmen
Sun 27.9.
MECC Maastricht, Maastricht
€ 59
Bizet's Carmen performed in an intimate "in the round" setting with leading soloists surrounding the audience at MECC Maastricht.
Carmen
Sun 6.9.
15:00
Theater Heerlen, Heerlen
The classic opera Carmen is performed at Theater Heerlen.
Noa Wildschut in Saint-Saëns' Violin Concerto No. 3 & Andrew Grams conducts Carmen
Sun 6.9.
11:00
Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam
v.a. € 21,00
Violinist Noa Wildschut performs Saint-Saëns' Violin Concerto No. 3, followed by Bizet's Carmen conducted by Andrew Grams.