Hoping to impress Carmen, the dashing bullfighter, Escamillo bursts out with a robust, super-masculine, yet romantic toast to his fellow bullfighters in
the Toreador Song.
029 2022 4488 THEATRE Royal Opera LIVE: Carmen is the best-known work by French composer Georges Bizet, and one of the most famous operas in the entire art form - numbers such as the Habanera and
the Toreador Song have permeated the popular consciousness as little else has.
His coffin was carried into St Flannan's Church in his home town of Killaloe in Co Clare to
the Toreador Song from Bizet's opera Carmen, adopted by Munster Rugby for the club's anthem Stand Up And Fight.
Featuring tongue-in-cheek commentary from the point of view of baritones rarely granted memorable tunes comparable to Puccini's "Nessun dorma," the song quotes Puccini's melody in the vocal and piano parts, much as Bolcom did for "George." Moore's quotational tour de force--which references five major baritone arias, including
the Toreador Song from Carmen--finds the melodies constantly supplanted by Puccini's aria.
She meets her match in Iuri Gisca's Escamillo whose rendition of
the Toreador Song was a highlight along with Carmen's aria Love is a Rebellious Bird (L'amour est un oiseau rebelle).
The Toreador song from Act 2 is known even to those who have not seen a single opera.
Cleverton excelled with
the Toreador song from Carmen and Largo al factotum from The Barber of Seville, while O'Brien was impressive in La donna e mobile (Rigoletto) before earning cheers and thunderous applause for a particularly powerful performance of Nessun dorma (Turandot).
The 20-year-old student will sing pieces from musical theatre and opera, including
the Toreador Song from Bizet's Carmen, at the event on May 14.
