Georges Bizet

Georges Bizet (French: [ʒɔʁʒ bizɛ]; 25 October 1838  3 June 1875), registered at birth as Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer of the romantic era. Best known for his operas in a career cut short by his early death, Bizet achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, which has become one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertoire.

During a brilliant student career at the Conservatoire de Paris, Bizet won many prizes, including the prestigious Prix de Rome in 1857. He was recognised as an outstanding pianist, though he chose not to capitalise on this skill and rarely performed in public. Returning to Paris after almost three years in Italy, he found that the main Parisian opera theatres preferred the established classical repertoire to the works of newcomers. His keyboard and orchestral compositions were likewise largely ignored; as a result, his career stalled, and he earned his living mainly by arranging and transcribing the music of others. Restless for success, he began many theatrical projects during the 1860s, most of which were abandoned. Neither of his two operas that reached the stage in this time—Les pêcheurs de perles and La jolie fille de Perth—were immediately successful.

Podcasts:

Georges Bizet

ALBUMS

Carmen (Lorin Maazel, soprano: Julia Migenes, tenor; Placido Domingo)

Released 2010

Carmen (Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France feat. tenor: Andrea Bocelli, conductor: Myung-Whun Chung)

Released 2010

Opera Classics (box 4: Carmen - Bizet) (feat. Conductor Michel Plasson)

Released 2007

Carmen

Released 2005

Carmen (The Ambrosian Singers, George Watson College Boys' Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra feat. conductor: Claudio Abbado)

Released 2005

Carmen (Philharmonia Orchestra feat. Patricia Bardon, conductor: David Parry)

Released 2003

Carmen (Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse feat. conductor: Michel Plasson)

Released 2003

Les Pêcheurs de perles/ Ivan IV (extraits)

Released 1989

Les Pêcheurs De Perles / IVAN IV (Chœurs et Orchestre du Théatre National de l'Opéra Comique feat. Pierre Dervaux)

Released 1988

Mussorgsky: Bilder einer Ausstellung / Tschaikowsky: Capriccio italien / Bizet: Carmen Suite No. 1 / Weber: Aufforderung zum Tanz

Released 1978

Born: 1838-10-25

Died: 1875-06-03

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Latest News for: george bizet

LSO to perform ‘Carmen’ and ‘Bolero’

Lima Ohio 04 Mar 2025
Georges Bizet and Maurice Ravel both really leaned into this exotic feel, even though neither of them ever really traveled to Spain, but what they felt was very mystical music and they imagined the influence of the Gypsies at this time.

Spring concert features classical music performances

Vietnam News 20 Feb 2025
HBSO Symphony Orchestra will play the work ... The night will end with Carmen Suite No 1 & No 2, two famous orchestral compositions drawn from the music of Georges Bizet's 1875 opera Carmen ... — VNS.  . .
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