What is the story of Carmen Habanera?
The opera is written in the genre of opéra comique with musical numbers separated by dialogue. It is set in southern Spain and tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a naïve soldier who is seduced by the wiles of the fiery gypsy Carmen.
What is the story of the Carmen ballet?
Synopsis. Alonso’s scenario centers on Carmen, Don José and the bullfighter Escamillo. Carmen is a passionate, free-spirited woman in contrast to the temperamental and fickle Don José. Fate, a ballerina dressed in black and a representation of Carmen’s alter ego, tells Carmen’s fortune with a deck of cards.
How many versions of Carmen are there?
The story of Carmen is based on the novel by Prosper Mérimée, which became famous thanks to the Bizet’s opera Carmen. Interestingly, the first ballet Carmen was staged long before Bizet created his opera.
What is the habanera rhythm?
The basic habanera rhythm follows a four-beat unit that skips the second pulse, instead sounding on the second half of the beat. This anticipation of the third beat is common in music throughout Latin America and can be heard with variation in many styles, including samba (see Chapter 5) and tango.
Why is Shchedrin’s ballet banned in Russia?
Initially banned by the Soviet hierarchy as “disrespectful” to the opera for precisely these qualities, the ballet has since become Shchedrin’s best-known work and has remained popular in the West for what reviewer James Sanderson calls “an iconoclastic but highly entertaining retelling of Bizet’s opera.”
What is the ISBN number for Carmen Suite ballet by Shostakovich?
In Shostakovich: String Quartet No. 8 (Landmarks in Music Since 1950) (Ashgate Publishing Limited, 2004). ISBN 0-754-60699-6. Greenfield, Edward, gramophone.net review, Apr-1969. Retrieved 22-Mar-2012 Malone, Andrew Lindemann, allmusic.com work description for Carmen Suite ballet. Retrieved 22-Mar-2012
How does Shchedrin set Bizet’s music?
Toward this end, Shchedrin set Bizet’s music with a number of clever and unexpected rhythmic twists and subtler changes in notes and chords. This gives the impression of simultaneously recognizing something familiar and being surprised in hearing something slightly distorted about it.
Why did Shchedrin choose this instrumentation?
Two factors influenced Shchedrin in choosing this instrumentation. The first, he said in an interview with BBC Music Magazine, was that, “to be totally far” from Bizet’s scoring for the opera, he wanted an ensemble “without brass and woodwind… that gave me many possibilities” for timbral variety.