Bizet's Carmen gets Mandarin Chinese makeover

Carmen.‌ Instantly recognizable, globally renowned, it's one of the world's best-known and most-loved operas and has captivated audiences for almost 150 years.

Now one Spanish production is ready to tour China with something brand new for the Chinese audience.

‌When a novela written by Prosper Merimee was adapted for stage by French composer Georges Bizet and debuted in 1875, no-one expected that it would become the universal success it is today - particularly not Bizet.

Reviews were lukewarm and the public underwhelmed after its opening night at the Opéra-Comique on March 3, 1875 in Paris, and Carmen's tragedy mirrored Bizet's own personal tragedy - deeply depressed by the 'failure' of Carmen, he died of a heart attack just three months after Carmen's debut.‌ He was 36 years old.

Carmen's global success

‌Fast forward to modern times and Carmen has been played and adapted thousands of times with no definitive version - perhaps another reason for its great success.

And while written and composed by French artists, Carmen's story is a very Spanish one, set in Seville.

The Madrid Ballet Flamenco Company has produced arguably its most Spanish incarnation with flamenco song and dance centre stage.

‌Playing Carmen is so intense that three actors share the lead role. Nani Hernandez and Irene Flores are two of the three and they have already toured 11 different cities across China.

‌"It was an amazing experience for us, there's nothing like it," Hernandez tells CGTN. "Chinese audiences love Carmen and it's a joy to perform there."

Irene Flores nods alongside her co-star.

‌"The theaters are enormous and they're always full. After the show they want to meet us and take photos with the dancers. We love the warmth and affection we get from Chinese people, they really appreciate our performance."

On Madrid's Gran Via - known as Spain's Broadway - their Carmen is in its 22nd season and almost two million people have seen it around the world.

Carmen to sing in Mandarin Chinese

‌On the company's next tour in China they're going to translate Carmen's iconic arias into Mandarin Chinese for the first time.

Spanish soprano Estibaliz Martyn is preparing to interpret famous songs like the 'Habanera' and the 'Toreador' in Mandarin.

"I think that performing the opera songs in Mandarin Chinese would bring Carmen and our culture a little closer to Chinese people and give it another dimension," Martyn tells CGTN.

‌"China is a country where I feel very comfortable because I have performed there a number of times before, we always want to engage and connect with our audiences."‌

What is the story of Carmen?

‌Remarkably, its writer Prosper Merimee had never been to Spain before he wrote this Spanish story of the passionate gypsy woman Carmen.

‌Her fierce charm, beauty and independence drive soldier Don Jose to extremes after he falls in love with her - tragic and comic, its universal themes of love, loss, passion and desire have resonated through the decades.

150 years of Carmen

‌In 2025 Carmen celebrates 150 years on stage, and for Madrid Ballet Flamenco Company director Luciano Ruiz, it's as relevant and relatable as ever.

"She is our guiding light," he says, "she taught me how to direct, she taught me how to create. To create a show like Carmen and to see it live up to expectations, that is to achieve something."

"Carmen was a leader in her time, and she would be a leader today too thanks to her personality and charm, for her intelligence and independence - she was ahead of her time."

"She has been an example for strong Spanish women, informing and teaching us for generations."

‌Carmen, at her most fiery and flamenca, is now ready to bring China closer than ever to her intimate, tragic and hypnotic story.

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