Carmen Suite

From Wind Repertory Project
Georges Bizet

Georges Bizet (arr. Bullock)


General Info

Year: 1875 / 1983
Duration: c. 14:10
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Orchestra
Publisher: Alfred Publishing
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - $89.00; (digital) - $89.00   |   Score Only (print) - $9.00


Instrumentation

Full Score
C Piccolo
Flute
Oboe
Bassoon
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
E-flat Alto Clarinet
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
Timpani
Percussion I-II, including:

  • Bass Drum
  • Bells
  • Castanets
  • Crash Cymbals
  • Snare Drum
  • Xylophone


Errata

None discovered thus far.


Program Notes

The story of Carmen is set in Seville, Spain, in 1820. It is the story of a passionate, fickle gypsy girl, Carmen, who is one of six major roles in the opera. The story, in four acts, is action-packed, animated, flowing, and never dragging or uninteresting.

Bizet was well acquainted with Spanish folklore and folk music through his many visits to Spain. For Carmen, he composed a score that was rhythmical, tuneful, and characteristic of the gypsy lifestyle. This adaptation for concert band, a suite in four movements, retains the spirit of the original production.

- Program Note from publisher


Carmen is an opera in four acts by French composer Georges Bizet. The libretto was written by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on a eponymous novella by Prosper Mérimée. The opera was first performed by the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 3 March 1875, where its breaking of conventions shocked and scandalized its first audiences. Carmen has since become one of the most popular and frequently performed operas in the classical canon; the Habanera from act 1 and the Toreador Song from act 2 are among the best known of all operatic arias.

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. José abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts from his military duties, yet loses Carmen's love to the glamorous torero Escamillo, after which José kills her in a jealous rage. The depictions of proletarian life, immorality, and lawlessness, and the tragic death of the main character on stage, broke new ground in French opera and were highly controversial.

- Program Note from Wikipedia


Media

(Needed - please join the WRP if you can help.)


State Ratings

  • North Carolina: V
  • Virginia: V


Performances

To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project

  • Juniata College (Huntingdon, Penn.) Wind Symphony (James Latten, conductor) - 19 November 2023
  • University of Sioux Falls (S.D.) Wind Ensemble (Rachel Friez and Grace Trautman, conductor) - 7 May 2021
  • Atascadero (Calif.) Community Band (Randy Schwalbe, conductor) – 4 March 2018
  • Atascadero (Calif.) Community Band (Keith Waibel, conductor) – 28 February 2016
  • Lystharmonikerne (Oslo, Norway) - 2015
  • Mid America Freedom Band (Kansas City, Mo.) (Ian Bradt, conductor) – 19 October 2014


Works for Winds by This Composer

Adaptable Music


All Wind Works


Resources