Carmen (Highlights) cover

Carmen (Highlights)

Leonard Bernstein · 1973

70 min · 14 tracks · classical music

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Elevation

Our rating, out of 100 — and why.

AI-generated from five scored dimensions. An opinion, not a measurement.

85 /100
Summit
Higher than 97% of albums we've rated

The act-by-act excerpts preserve a clear dramatic line, but the cuts necessarily leave gaps in the opera's full development.

What we noticed

  • The selections follow the opera's act order: Act I moves from the overture through Carmen's entrance, then Act II begins after an entr'acte.
  • Solo arias alternate with choruses and ensembles; Act II's quintet follows Escamillo's toast and precedes Don José's flower aria.
  • The Act III trio and Micaëla's aria lead through another entr'acte to the final confrontation, giving the highlights a dramatic endpoint.
Composition 25% of the score
9/10

the writing — melody, harmony, structure, lyrics

Craft 20% of the score
8/10

production, performance, arrangement

Durability 25% of the score
8/10

whether it rewards returning to it

Distinctiveness 18% of the score
6/10

whether it sounds like itself

Sequencing 12% of the score
7/10

running order, pacing, length

Influence 3/10

Known within its scene. Reported but not counted — how far a record travelled describes its reception rather than the record, and a newer release has had less time to travel than an older one.

Tracklist

Best experienced from track one — press play and let it unfold.

  • 1 Carmen : Overture (Prélude) 4:21
  • 2 Carmen : Acte I. « Sur la place, chacun passe » (Les Soldats, Moralès) 6:02
  • 3 Carmen : Acte I. « Avec la garde montante » (Chœur des Gamins) 2:30
  • 4 Carmen : Acte I. « L'amour est un oiseau rebelle » (Havanaise) 4:52
  • 5 Carmen : Acte I. Chanson et Duo: « Près des remparts de Séville » 5:00
  • 6 Carmen : Acte I. Entracte (between Act I & II) 1:44
  • 7 Carmen : Acte II. « Les tringles des sistres tintaient » (Carmen, Mercédès, Frasquita) 4:51
  • 8 Carmen : Acte II. Couplets: « Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre » 5:32
  • 9 Carmen : Acte II. Quintette: « Nous avons en tête une affaire ! » 4:28
  • 10 Carmen : Acte II. « La fleur que tu m'avais jetée » 4:30
  • 11 Carmen : Acte III. Trio: « Mêlons ! Coupons ! » 7:30
  • 12 Carmen : Acte III. « Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante » (Micaela) 5:22
  • 13 Carmen : Acte III. Entr'acte 2:24
  • 14 Carmen : Acte IV. « Carmen, un bon conseil » / « C'est toi ? » … « C'est moi ! » 11:06

What to play next

The Planets
Listen next

The Planets

1973
Carmen (Suites 1 and 2) / Peer Gynt (Suites 1 and 2)
Go back to

Carmen (Suites 1 and 2) / Peer Gynt (Suites 1 and 2)

1973
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Reference: MusicBrainz