Centre Européen de Musique
Centre Européen de Musique

3 June 1875 - 3 June 2025
Georges Bizet, the little-known universalist

Georges Bizet died 150 years ago, aged just 36. A few weeks after the premiere of Carmen, he died in the house in Bougival where, in a fever of creativity, he had completed this work that was to revolutionise the history of music.

And yet, so many misunderstandings, so much oblivion. Bizet's revolution - in structure, language and musical dramaturgy - remains underestimated to this day. Bizet invented a form of modern opera that was profoundly European, free and unvarnished, in which human passions are confronted with uncompromising intensity. Carmen is humanity laid bare. And it is for this reason that the work has never ceased to speak to everyone, everywhere.

For several years now, the Centre Européen de Musique has been committed to honouring this legacy. By preserving the Maison de Bizet in Bougival, a place of remembrance and inspiration, it is working to ensure that this living heritage continues to shine forth and to make heard the most universal thing Bizet had to say: the freedom to be, to create, to love.

Don't miss it! :
On 8 June at 6pm on ARTE, discover the documentary ‘Carmen, the birth of a myth’, directed by Jean Rousselot and co-produced by Andaman, ARTE and the Centre Européen de Musique (CEM). A vibrant tribute to a visionary composer, supported by those who today defend the transformative power of music.

A conversation with Jean Rousselot, novelist, scriptwriter and film-maker, author of the documentary ‘Carmen, the birth of a myth’ on France Music, about the genesis of ‘Carmen’ and the inspiration it still creates today through its contemporary interpretations.

To extend the discovery: ‘Carmen, la rebelle’ by Jean Lacouture, published by Éditions du Seuil - a book to understand the historical, political and artistic significance of this free and indomitable heroine. And ‘Georges et Carmen’ by Jean Rousselot, published by Éditions Phébus, a deeply moving novel about the fatal love affair between Georges Bizet, his character CARMEN and the role's creator, Célestine Galli-Marié.

 

 

3 June 1875 - 3 June 2025
Georges Bizet, the little-known universalist

Georges Bizet died 150 years ago, aged just 36. A few weeks after the premiere of Carmen, he died in the house in Bougival where, in a fever of creativity, he had completed this work that was to revolutionise the history of music.

And yet, so many misunderstandings, so much oblivion. Bizet's revolution - in structure, language and musical dramaturgy - remains underestimated to this day. Bizet invented a form of modern opera that was profoundly European, free and unvarnished, in which human passions are confronted with uncompromising intensity. Carmen is humanity laid bare. And it is for this reason that the work has never ceased to speak to everyone, everywhere.

For several years now, the Centre Européen de Musique has been committed to honouring this legacy. By preserving the Maison de Bizet in Bougival, a place of remembrance and inspiration, it is working to ensure that this living heritage continues to shine forth and to make heard the most universal thing Bizet had to say: the freedom to be, to create, to love.

Don't miss it! :
On 8 June at 6pm on ARTE, discover the documentary ‘Carmen, the birth of a myth’, directed by Jean Rousselot and co-produced by Andaman, ARTE and the Centre Européen de Musique (CEM). A vibrant tribute to a visionary composer, supported by those who today defend the transformative power of music.

A conversation with Jean Rousselot, novelist, scriptwriter and film-maker, author of the documentary ‘Carmen, the birth of a myth’ on France Music, about the genesis of ‘Carmen’ and the inspiration it still creates today through its contemporary interpretations.

To extend the discovery: ‘Carmen, la rebelle’ by Jean Lacouture, published by Éditions du Seuil - a book to understand the historical, political and artistic significance of this free and indomitable heroine. And ‘Georges et Carmen’ by Jean Rousselot, published by Éditions Phébus, a deeply moving novel about the fatal love affair between Georges Bizet, his character CARMEN and the role's creator, Célestine Galli-Marié.