2025 is the 150th anniversary of George Bizet’s iconic opera Carmen the the 180th anniversary of the novel by Prosper Mérimée on which it was based. Carmen is herself an iconic European character who has featured not just in literature and opera, but also dance, film and music.
Supported by the European Union in Hong Kong with the participation of the Consulates-General of France, Spain and Italy, the French May festival, the Italian Cultural Institute, the Dante Alighieri Society and Opera Hong Kong and co-organized by the Polytechnic University and Peninsula Hong Kong, the programme consists of a year-long series of events including recitals and concerts, opera performances, lectures, film and dance.
Carmen Wong resets the iconic story in China at periods ranging from the 1920s to 1970s. The cast of this two-act version is reduced to the principals, and set in one of the ubiquitous bars.
This new work was first performed at the Peninsula Hong Kong in May, July and September and then two fully-staged performances at the Polytechnic University in October. Productions are scheduled for Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Xi’an starting in January 2026.
L’histoire de Carmen is a 40-minute multimedia presentation offering a new rendition of the timeless story. Centred on selections from the opera, infused with narrative from the original novel by Prosper Mérimée – it brings to life one of Europe’s most fascinating literary characters.
A variation is the “soirée lyrique” of history and performance consisting of musical selections and readings from the novel developed for the Peninsula Shanghai and Consulate-General of France in Shanghai with the assistance of the Alliance Française.
Talks
Performances
Films
Upcoming events include performances at the Conservatories in Guangzhou, Shenzhen and Xi’an.
