Behind the Music That Ignites Carmen
Vicki Crain, Better
In a smoky cigarette factory on the brink of civil war, love becomes a battlefield in The Joffrey Ballet’s U.S. premiere of Liam Scarlett’s Carmen at the Lyric Opera House. Opening the Joffrey’s 70th anniversary season on Sept. 18, 2025, Scarlett’s Carmen brings striking new visual intensity to Georges Bizet‘s iconic score — but it’s the music, played live by the Lyric Opera Orchestra, that drives the drama.
Marking its 150th anniversary this year, Bizet’s famous score remains as compelling as ever — and who better to explore its enduring power than Scott Speck, Joffrey’s music director since 2010?
“In the music world, we’re constantly dealing with music that’s a few hundred years old, so the pure age of it fits within the things we play,” Speck says. “However, I was surprised to hear it was 150 years because I think of the score as very modern.”
The Music Behind Carmen
As one of the most performed operas (the top three are known as the ABCs: Aida, La Boheme, Carmen), the catchy melodies from Carmen are ingrained in the history of opera and ballet.
After the opera premiered in Paris in 1875, it was only mildly successful. “The irony is that Bizet never knew how popular his opera would become because he died at age 36. It’s a shame because he had so much more great music in him,” says Speck. “The score is extremely fresh and unencumbered by pomp. That’s what I mean by modern.”
As a young composer, Bizet made an indelible impact, pushing opera forward from the more romantic to a realistic style. “He wasn’t a rebel or groundbreaker like Stravinsky, but he was a really good exemplar of the prevailing style of the time,” explains Speck. “You could say he bridged the gap from French opera and the Verismo style. In that way, he was innovative. Otherwise, he wrote beautiful melodies, and in an appealing way that allowed the voices of the singers to soar.”
Since there are no singers in the ballet Carmen, the dancers and the steps tell the story with the aid of the music. This particular version was restructured and rearranged by composer Marin Yates, who took the lines from the opera and put them into orchestral instruments.
“For example, where it might have been a tenor solo, in this case, it’s a cello, or what might have been Carmen singing in a coquettish voice, you now have an oboe,” Speck shares. “It’s not exactly note-for-note from the original, but things have been arranged to make it work better for the ballet.”
A Familiarity with Carmen
Chicago audiences have seen other works by Scarlett in recent years. Known for his musicality and storytelling, the late choreographer is a favorite of the Joffrey. In 2014, he came to the Windy City to set his ballet Vespertine. He and Speck met and worked closely for weeks, making sure the timing of the music was just right.
“He is a very musical choreographer in the sense that what’s happening musically, both in terms of the intensity and the phrasing, is reflected in the movement he creates for the dancers,” says Speck. “If the music sounds particularly suave, then you’ll see that in the dancers’ steps. With Bizet, you feel the characters are extremely human. Liam was able to echo and advance the story with every step he created.”
While many may think they don’t know Bizet’s score, most have heard some of his musical themes before. Carmen’s habanera, forewarning something bad is going to happen, is particularly memorable, as well as the Spanish flamenco aragonaise, and the toreador songs, which the audience will undoubtedly be humming as they leave the theater.
“The score isn’t tricky to conduct per se,” Speck says. “The difficulty is not technical; it’s getting the right feelings in the music. We will be mightily assisted by the Lyric Opera Orchestra, which knows the score backwards and forwards. If anyone knows Carmen, it’s them. They will have plenty to teach us. I’m really looking forward to it.”
“Rather than having to focus so intently on what comes next and how to pull it off flawlessly, we can spend our effort trying to create the most beauty possible,” says Speck. “Bizet gives us so much to work with that if we do our job, it will be ravishingly beautiful from beginning to end.”
Special thanks to Joffrey’s live music sponsors: Sandy and Roger Deromedi, Sage Foundation, and The Marina and Arnold Tatar Fund for Live Music.
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