Bizet: Carmen

Digitally re-mastered on 2 SACDs, this release also features a complete libretto both in French and English.

With delight, PENTATONE re-releases Georges Bizet’s opera Carmen, which remains one of the world’s most frequently performed operas from his repertoire. Bernstein’s daringly slow tempos, though criticized by some, are revelatory. Ms. Horne’s ‘Habanera’ is all the more seductive for its reined-in pacing and sultry phrasing”. Many claim that it is by far the best recording of Carmen. Leonard Bernstein’s rendition is as sharp as Marilyn Horne and James McCracken’s performances are stunning.

In one of its reviews in September 1982, the New York Times declared, “a strong vote for Bernstein’s much-debated 1973 recording of Bizet’s ‘Carmen,’ with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and the great Marilyn Horne in the title role.