Bizet once wrote that if there were no adultery, fanaticism, crime, evil and supernatural powers in the world, composers would lack the subject matter to make a true opera! Nevertheless, it doesn't change the fact that Carmen - a story of sexual obsession and inevitable murder for love - initially caused consternation among its first Parisian viewers, unaccustomed to such a daring combination of comical and tragic elements. The controversial subject matter and the relationship between its comic and tragic elements, something rather unacceptable at the time, contributed to a very cold reception of the opera during its Parisian premiere in 1875. Today, its reputation couldn't be more different - it is now considered one of the most beautiful operas ever composed. The combination of Bizet's extraordinary music, full of temperament and brilliance, and the top-class libretto work resulted in a work of genius in every respect of the word. He managed to create a work full of tension, delightful with an exotic image of mysterious, and yet not so distant for a Frenchman - Spain. See 'Carmen' at the Grand Theatre in Łódź. Performance in French with Polish subtitles.