SFOpera - Carmen goes to the movies

Carmen goes to the movies

Carmen routinely ranks among the world’s most performed operas, but perhaps no single work in the repertoire is as well known outside the opera house. Music from Carmen is regularly performed in concert settings, and it has been adapted as a ballet, a film on ice (starring Katarina Witt and Brian Boitano) and a hip-hopera (Beyonce’s acting debut).

Georges Bizet died almost 50 years before the first commercial use of sound-on-film yet has over 250 television and film credits to his name, mostly from his blockbuster swan song. Habanera was used by the Marx Brothers all the way back in 1929, and since then Carmen has popped up everywhere from The AristoCats, Trainspotting and Magnolia to Lost, Six Feet Under, Curb Your Enthusiasm, and of course, the apogee of lampoonery, The Simpsons (‘Toreador-a, don’t spit on the floor-a’ anyone?).

We’re looking forward to this evergreen classic returning to the Opera House in Summer 2016. In the meantime keep your whistles wet with a few favorite cultural distortions:

Reaching back to 1962 with Tom and Jerry: Carmen Get It!

A typically psychedelic and synth-soaked rendition from Philip Glass-era Sesame Street.

So many Sesame Street and Muppets examples to choose from, but here’s another with the legendary Samuel Ramey:

Pop culture singularity? Hamlet meets Habanera on Gilligan’s Island.

Finally, characteristically poignant execution from our pals across the Bay – Pixar’s Up.

Don't miss Bizet's Carmen onstage at San Francisco Opera in Summer 2016!