Search - Bizet, Nast, Bachmann :: Carmen

Made in 1908, 33 years after the opera's premiere, this Carmen was one of the first complete opera recordings. Despite the substitution of guttural German for mellifluous French, it's a thrilling performance, bristling with drama and sung with a freedom that may alarm some. Emmy Destinn's Carmen is spectacular, with thrilling top notes, flexible rhythm and phrasing, and vocal colors that illuminate the character. Karl Jorn, her Don José, is a worthy partner in the dramatic moments, less so in the lyrical ones. The half-hour of Lohengrin excerpts includes the Bridal Scene, where Destinn's breathtaking vocalism is joined to a sure sense of style and dramatic urgency. Producer Ward Marston again spins pure gold from primitive acoustic recordings, with transfers that bring life and presence to a Carmen for lovers of Golden Age vocalism. --Dan Davis