# Georges Bizet



## Sid James

*Georges Bizet *(1838-1875) won early success as a composer and initially as a pianist. His later career in Paris was more variable, and a number of stage works remained unfinished at the time of his early death, which took place as his most famous opera, _Carmen_, was enjoying increasing favour.

(From Naxos website)

I've recently been listening to Bizet's excellent _L'Arlesienne Suites _& have enjoyed them immensely. I like how he used the saxophone, a new instrument at the time, and the impression of bells ringing in the movement _Carillon_. Great orchestration, interesting melodies & very memorable. What a pity the man died so young & only left a relatively small output...

Who else likes Bizet's music? The operas? The excellent _Symphony in C major_? _Jeux d'enfants_?


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## Mirror Image

I like Bizet quite a bit actually. I need to acquire more by him though. As I only own, three or four recordings:

- Symphony No. 1; Offenbach: Gaite Parisienne
Orch: NY Philharmonic
Cond: L. Bernstein
Label: Sony

- Carmen Suite Nos. 1 & 2
Orch: NY Philharmonic
Cond: L. Bernstein
Label: Sony

He wrote beautiful, straight-forward melodies that hang in the mind for days like in his Symphony. Great construction, orchestration, and the overall dynamics in his music are really good.


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## Guest

I am a fan of Bizet, the opera Carmen is one of my favorites, I have the BPO,Karajan a 3CD boxed set with Agnes Baltsa, J van Dam, Jose Carreras etc. truly riveting stuff


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## Tapkaara

I love Bizet. One of the first composers I really sunk my teeth into when I started getting into classical. His Symphony in C and the two L'Arlesienne Suites are as tuneful as anything in the repertoire. Carmen is my favorite opera; again, the tunefulness and colorful orchestration make it too hard to resist. Never could get into The Pearl Fishermen, though,


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## Air

Haha, bizet's a composer who really makes me happy. Carmen is quite an accessible opera, some of the other ones I've heard and quite don't like. Symphony in C and the L'Arlesienne Suites, all great. I've also played the Jeux d'enfants with a friend, fun stuff. Didn't write much else though...

I don't listen to Georges much anymore, but make sure to put in Horowitz's stunning Carmen Variations every once in a while. Very exciting.


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## Guest

The best duet from the Pearl Fishers "Au fond du temple saint" in my oppinion was by Jussi Björling and Robert Merrill I have a remastered version on CD this is a youtube link but the sound does not do them justice


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## TresPicos

His Symphony in C is really amazing! Well done for a 17-year-old!


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## Tapkaara

TresPicos said:


> His Symphony in C is really amazing! Well done for a 17-year-old!


Agreed! Let's wait for the first person to deride it because it is tuneful.


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## TresPicos

Tapkaara said:


> Agreed! Let's wait for the first person to deride it because it is tuneful.




Tuneful, yes! Where is the depth? _Is _there any? Or is it just plain joy, happiness, energy and life mindlessly condensed into shallow music?


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## Tapkaara

TresPicos said:


> Tuneful, yes! Where is the depth? _Is _there any? Or is it just plain joy, happiness, energy and life mindlessly condensed into shallow music?


Is there depth in this piece? Probably not too much! If the classical symphony is a vast swimming pool, the sole symphony of Bizet would be in the shallow end whereas the likes of a Mahler would occupy the very deep end. But hey, it's still a pool, and either end is still refreshing on a hot summer day!

(What a horrible analogy!)

Anyway, the Bizet symphony is no more shallow than any of Mozart's more joyous symphonies...and, in my ever so humble opinion, the tunes are better,


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## Sid James

Tapkaara said:


> Is there depth in this piece?


I think that there is definitely depth in the haunting slow movement, as for the rest of _Symphony in C_, probably not too much...


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## Guest

Tapkaara said:


> Agreed! Let's wait for the first person to deride it because it is tuneful.


I think I know who that will be


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## JoeGreen

Really like what Bizet wrote, what a shame he died so young could have really delivered as even more Masterpieces. 

I had an infactuation with the opera Carmen when I first started listening to classical music. The Quintet in Act 2 is just really good, and probably my favorite piece from the whole opera.

I enjoy his L'Arlesienne Suites 1 and 2, I love how he uses the Sax, not as an exotic instrument, but as a legitimate member of the Orchestra.


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## Sid James

JoeGreen said:


> I enjoy his L'Arlesienne Suites 1 and 2, I love how he uses the Sax, not as an exotic instrument, but as a legitimate member of the Orchestra.


He must have surely been one of the first composers to use the sax in classical. It adds so much atmosphere to L'Arlesienne. At least he wasn't like Wagner or R Strauss, who refused to acknowledge the sax at all. They probably looked down upon it, thought it was only for marching bands...


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## Tapkaara

Andante said:


> I think I know who that will be


Hahaha, I think I know too!


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## Mirror Image

Tapkaara said:


> Hahaha, I think I know too!


Who? Bach?


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## clavichorder

How could anyone have written such an incredible symphony at 17? Only Mozart, who wrote many great symphonies at 17 can top that.


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## Donizetti

All things considered I must vote for Je crois entendre encore as the most gorgeous melody in all of music. Simply divine.


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## Minor Sixthist

I'm surprised the dear man hasn't gotten a guestbook within the many pages I've skimmed. If there is one out there, sorry. Our Bizet needs appreciation.

He didn't have any substantial successes if you compare any of it with Carmen, but that opera is such a masterpiece. Unfortunately poor Bizet died a mere three months after its premiere, when it was considered a failure and a controversy. He was only 36. If only he could've gotten more time.

L'Arlesienne is also incredible. The second suite, the farandole in particular, is such wonderful orchestration. 

He was a passionate, vivacious man with a noble and upright demeanor apparently a stormy temper.

Feel free to express any thoughts you have on the frenchman. I'm all ears.


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## Pugg

WE do have some very strong French music admires, 've seen his name passing a lot of times.
I love the Carmen .. a lot.


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## Taggart

Please before you say X doesn't have a guest book, check on http://www.talkclassical.com/32525-composer-guestbooks-information-index.html

I've merged Minor Sixthist's post and Pugg's reply with the original guest book.


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## Meyerbeer Smith

EDIT: I didn't realise I'd replied to an eight-year-old post! I thought it was part of the thread started this morning and since moved.


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## Meyerbeer Smith

Bizet is delightful. _Carmen _is one of those operas that's so popular it's easy to overlook how _good_ it actually is; apart from the famous bits, it also has witty, piquant instrumentation and those lively choruses that are one of the joys of French opera.

(Confession: I couldn't listen to it for several years. I got severe food poisoning the night after watching the Domingo film, and spent the next day or so with the tunes dancing through my fevered brain.)

There are fine things in _Les pêcheurs de perles_ and _Djamileh_ (a one-act Arabian opéra-comique). Here's one of the arias: 



.

_Le docteur Miracle_ has a fine quartet: 




I haven't heard _Ivan IV_, but have just found the libretto (FINALLY!).


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## Pugg

> (Confession: I couldn't listen to it for several years. I got severe food poisoning the night after watching the Domingo film, and spent the next day or so with the tunes dancing through my fevered brain.)


For one minuet I though you were going to say: the armpits from Julia Migenes made me sick.


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## Meyerbeer Smith

Pugg said:


> For one minuet I though you were going to say: the armpits from Julia Migenes made me sick.


I don't remember them; I must have blotted them out of my mind. Besides, it was the 80s, and big hair was in.


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