# Good recordings of Bizet's Carmen



## Rewind

Hi.

I would like to read your opinions about recordings of Carmen, the complete opera and not just the highlights.
If you had to recommend one and only one recording of this work, which one would that be ?


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## sospiro

Rewind said:


> Hi.
> 
> I would like to read your opinions about recordings of Carmen, the complete opera and not just the highlights.
> If you had to recommend one and only one recording of this work, which one would that be ?


Hi Rewind and welcome to the forum. You'll find suggestions and opinions on Carmen (and much else :lol: ) in the Opera on DVD and Blu-ray sub-forum. There's also a thread for opera on CD

We're going to start a new project on our recommended CDs soon so if you can't find what you're looking for, stick around, & I'm sure the new project will give you some ideas.

But stick around anyway


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## Sebastien Melmoth

Rewind said:


> _If you had to recommend one and only one recording of this work, which one would that be ?_


No doubt: Karajan's _*Carmen*_ !

http://www.amazon.com/Bizet-Carmen-...6326865?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1300148812&sr=1-1


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## mamascarlatti

Sebastien Melmoth said:


> No doubt: Karajan's _*Carmen*_ !
> 
> http://www.amazon.com/Bizet-Carmen-...6326865?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1300148812&sr=1-1


Yes, I would second that one. Baltsa and Carreras are fantastic.


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## scytheavatar

But I would argue that his 1963 recording with Price and Corelli is better. Baltsa is fantastic but I can't help but feel that José is too big a role for Carreras and he was always struggling to sing it. The biggest difference though is that Karajan at his prime is far superior than him at the twilight of his career. In any case my choice of best Carmen recording will be either the Solti (superbe performance from the conductor and a terrific cast) or the rather underrated Maazel recording (with a extremely underrated Julia Migenes-Johnson and the best Escamillo of all time with Raimondi).


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## Rewind

scytheavatar said:


> But I would argue that his 1963 recording with Price and Corelli is better.


Whats the sound quality like on that older recording ? The other Karajan is from 1982 I think and is perhaps a more safe choice ?


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## scytheavatar

Rewind said:


> Whats the sound quality like on that older recording ? The other Karajan is from 1982 I think and is perhaps a more safe choice ?


You'll need to be an extremely picky audiophile to complain about its sound quality. The bigger issue is that almost all of the pre mid 60's recordings (including Karajan's) uses recitatives instead of dialogues, and those recitatives are bloody awful. I think Karajan's earier Carmen is solid but the safer choice should still be Solti's.

Either way, just make sure you don't get Abbado's version. It's bloody overrated and one of the worst performances from the conductor I have ever heard.


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## mamascarlatti

scytheavatar said:


> But I would argue that his 1963 recording with Price and Corelli is better. Baltsa is fantastic but I can't help but feel that José is too big a role for Carreras and he was always struggling to sing it. The biggest difference though is that Karajan at his prime is far superior than him at the twilight of his career. In any case my choice of best Carmen recording will be either the Solti (superbe performance from the conductor and a terrific cast) or the rather underrated Maazel recording (with a extremely underrated Julia Migenes-Johnson and *the best Escamillo of all time with Raimondi*).


I'll second that too. The film of this is amazing.


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## Sebastien Melmoth

scytheavatar said:


> _just make sure you don't get Abbado's version. It's bloody overrated and one of the worst performances from the conductor I have ever heard._


I respect and love Abbado, but must agree with you here: when I got Karajan's *Carmen* I actually threw out Abbado's.

I don't know if it's on DVD, but if you want to see a staged *Carmen*, *Elina Garanca*'s current performances are insanely sexy and stunning.


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## Rewind

I can see that Karajan or Solti should be the first pick. But is Abbados recording really THAT bad ?


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## Sebastien Melmoth

Rewind said:


> _Is Abbado's recording really THAT bad ?_


No; I just needed the shelf space.


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## Rewind

I'll order this next week.


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## elgar's ghost

No one here a fan of Beecham's late 50s recording with de los Angeles/Gedda?


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## annie

my favorites are solti's and plasson's


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## itywltmt

For me, Cluytens 1950









You can sample it at 
http://public-domain-archive.com/classic/download.php?lang=eng&album_no=710


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## itywltmt

More on the Cluytens recording on my blog this week:
http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/378-qu-tal-carm-n.html


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## dafnis

elgars ghost said:


> No one here a fan of Beecham's late 50s recording with de los Angeles/Gedda?


That's the one I was about to recommend... absolutely fantastic!


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## Itullian

don't like Carmen, but if i gotta, Beecham.


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## christmashtn

For Recititives: Callas/Pretre. Though recorded late in her career, Callas is the most menacing Carmen I have ever heard. She's just the total b-tch! Additionally, I have never heard a more supurbly conducted Carmen. Pretre's tempos are just perfect from first bar to last, and not one bar goes by without the upmost of feeling and sensitivity.

With Dialogues: Marilyn Horne with Bernstein. Lenny's tempos are quite erratic at times (IE:I have never heard the opening prelude done at such a measured pace), but in pure Lenny fashion, he makes it all work. His personality is stamped all over this performance. Not for a second is the conductors identity ever in doubt.


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## BalloinMaschera

itywltmt said:


> For me, Cluytens 1950


This is indeed a very special recording; the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts- there is great synergy and terrifically (and genuinely) idiomatic french singing.


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## annie

troyanos/solti & berganza/abbado


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## czgirb

for me ... my taste:
when it comes to SOUND, i prefer KARAJAN (SORIA) for the first. and second SOLTI with TROYANOS. but when it comes to performance, i prefer BEECHAM for the first and second KARAJAN DGG.


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## Pugg

​For me this one to :tiphat:


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## hpowders

I like the Horne/Bernstein recording.


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## Albert7

Kozena/Rattle is pretty good on the Warner label.


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## starthrower

The 50 + year old recording by Karajan w/ Leontyne Price is excellent! I picked up a used copy for around 6 or 7 dollars.


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## Albert7

Albert7 said:


> Kozena/Rattle is pretty good on the Warner label.


Here is the cover for this one. Sorry I didn't post it up earlier.


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## StlukesguildOhio

I like the Beecham and Cluytens as well as the Reiner recording:










Is anyone familiar with the Met live version by Reiner? Thoughts?










What of Karajan live in Vienna?


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## DavidA

Rewind said:


> Whats the sound quality like on that older recording ? The other Karajan is from 1982 I think and is perhaps a more safe choice ?


The sound quality is amazing - one of Culshaw's best recordings. With cast and HvK at their best it is a combustable experience.


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## bigshot

I really enjoyed this one... great sound, great cast, great conducting, great filmmaking (on location, not set bound like other video Carmens)








http://www.amazon.com/Carmen-Blu-ray-Placido-Domingo/dp/B0054YIQK8


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