Carmen: A Performance Guide

by Mary Dibbern, Georges Bizet

Mary Dibbern, Music Director of Education and Family Programs at The Dallas Opera, and adjunct faculty member at the University of North Texas has created a Performance Guide for Bizet's opera "Carmen." This contribution to the Vox Musicae series presents a word-by-word translation and IPA transcription of the French libretto, and her translations of its literary sources trace the opera libretto's development from Prosper Mérimée's short novel, "Carmen," as well as excerpts from Mérimée's "The Story of Rondino," and "Spanish Letters." Musicologist Lesley A. Wright has contributed an essay concerning the performing editions of "Carmen." This well-rounded volume is designed for use by singers, vocal coaches, conductors, producers and directors, as well as opera-lovers.

310 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2001

Reviews

[Giuseppe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish that there was more musical analysis and discussion of Bizet's compositional style and technique.
Great information regarding current editions: Oeser (1964) vs. Schott [Didion] (2000) vs. Peters [Langham-Smith] (2000).
The majority of the book is a nico-castel-like libretto + IPA + translation for both complete dialogue (spoken and sung) + standad Guiraud recitatives.
A special feature are the Merimee novellas printed at the end of the book, which includes Carmen!! This was probably the most stunning addition!