Georges Bizet

Bizet ! Here is a composer who doesn't have a huge amount of operatic legacy. In fact he only ever completed nine in all (a very small amount in comparison to some), and of those six works have been lost. 

A French composer, he was born in Paris in 1838 and died in 1875, before reaching 40. But although we have little to show for all his hard work we do have Carmen ! Though it is now a universal favorite, the opera's first performances failed miserably, and a disheartened Bizet died three months later. 

Soon after his death overwhelming audience enthusiastic approval greeted work, set in a vividly romanticized Spanish world. Carmen is an extravaganza of colour, both visual and musical.

A tale of gypsys, smugglers, soldiers and toreadors, (and a sweet girl back home), it is truly lust in the dust ! Although Bizet himself never went to Spain, he has captured, in one opera, its essence. This has to be opera at its most exciting and is ideal for newcomers to the genre.  

Source: Opera Goodies Website