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Prelude Act I Chorus of Street Boys The guard is changing, and small boys march behind singing "With the relief guard we come, we are there". Chorus of Cigarette Girls The soldiers sit waiting for the girls from the cigarette factory, who arrive, each one smoking a cigarette "In the air, we follow the smoke with our eyes". Habanera Carmen sings in the square "Love is a rebellious bird" with the line "If I love you then beware!". At the end she throws a flower from her hair to Don José. Ma mère je la vois Don José remembers his mother with the song "My mother, I see her". Près des remparts de Séville (Seguidilla) After her arrest for fighting, Carmen persuades Don José to release her, promising to meet him at Lillas Pastia's tavern "Near the ramparts of Seville".

Entr'acte   Act II Gypsy Song In Lillia Pastia's tavern, Carmen, Frasquita and Mercédès dance and sing "The rods of the sistrums jingled". (And as everyone knows, a sistrum is an ancient type of jingling rattle with a long handle). Toreador Song Escamillo arrives at the tavern with the song "Your toast, I can give to you" following on to "Toreador, on guard!" Je vais danser en votre honneur In a room at the tavern, Carmen sings and dances for Don José "I'm going to dance in your honour", but he hears the retreat being sounded so he should leave. La fleur que tu m'avais jetée Carmen has decided that Don José does not love her, so he produces the flower from his uniform vest and sings "The flower that you threw to me"   Entr'acte

Act III

Card Song In the gypsy camp, Frasquita and Mercédès deal the cards to tell their fortunes "Shuffle! Cut!". The cards foretell Carmen's death, repeatedly. Quant au douanier The gypsies prepare to distract the customs officer to get their contraband through the pass "As for the customs guard, he is our affair". Je dis que rien ne m'épouvante Micaëla makes her way to the gypsy camp, in fear, and prays for courage "I say that nothing terrifies me". Moi je viens te chercher & Act III Finale Micaëla finds Don Jose and tells him that his mother is dying "I come to look for you".   Entr'acte

Act IV

A deux cuartos! In the square outside the bullring, street vendors ply their trade - programmes, oranges, wine, water, cigarettes. March of the Toreadors The toreadors arrive in procession "They're here!"

Images from the 1984 film by Francesco Rosi starring Placido Domingo and Julia Migenes-Johnson

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