Carmen Backstage Pass

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A Synopsis of the Opera
ACT III: A mountain pass
The revolutionaries are busy moving their goods through the dangerous
hillside (Sextet and chorus: Notre métier est bon). Carmen, now tired of
José’s jealousy, reads her fortune in the playing cards. She draws the death
card (Aria: ).
When the revolutionaries head down the mountain to bribe the customs
officer, José is left as a lookout. On her way up the mountain to find José,
Micaëla hears a rifle shot and takes cover. José has fired a warning shot
at Escamillo, who has come in search of Carmen (Duet: Je suis Escamillo).
Escamillo tells José he is in love with Carmen and they start to fight, but are
separated by the returning gang (Finale: Holà! Holà! José!). Remendado
then discovers Micaëla, who has come to beg José to return home to his
dying mother. Carmen urges him to leave; José is convinced she wants to
be rid of him in order to take up with Escamillo. José leaves with Micaëla,
warning Carmen that he will come back.
ACT IV: Outside the bullring
A crowd begins to gather for the bullfight and vendors sell their wares
(Chorus: A deux cuartos!). Suddenly, the toreros arrive and the crowd
becomes excited (March and chorus: Les voici!). Escamillo enters with
Carmen at his side and they exchange vows of love. Carmen declares she
has never loved another man as much as she does Escamillo.
Outside the ring, Frasquita and Mercédès pull Carmen aside and tell her to
be careful because José has been seen in the crowd. Carmen, however,
ignores their warnings and bravely remains for a final encounter. José
pleads desperately with her to come back to him (Duet:
). As she tells him she can never love him again, the crowd is heard
cheering Escamillo’s victory in the ring. Realizing that he can never possess
Carmen, José stabs her to death and cries out, “You can arrest me—I kille
her. Ah, Carmen, my adored Carmen!”
Reprinted by permission of Houston Grand Opera
3 Photo: Lynn Lane/Houston Grand Opera