Carmen Habanera

After three decades of Carmen in opéra comique-style, each one offering its own brand of authenticity, here we are back in the 19th century with the old grand opera version, with the Guiraud recitatives, tacked on after Bizet’s death. This was the way Carmen was usually performed until the 1950s, when producers and scholars started to reconsider the original.

In 2008 the world famous guitarist, Al DiMeola and the virtuoso Hungarian flute player, Eszter Horgas played together in Hungary to perform the remake of Bizet's "Carmen." The concert was recorded and leadto a remarkable album called "He & Carmen." The music combines classical, Latin and jazz elements to create a unique, atmospheric and passionate concert. The guitar and the flute, two very exciting instruments make a beautiful pair. The variety of the musicians, the American Al DiMeola, the Cuban Gumbi Ortiz, the Italian Peo Alfonsi, the Hungarian Eszter Horgas and the others made the performance even more original, bringing their own culture, adding their own personality to create a truly unique album.

Enrico Rava is a prolific jazz trumpeter and arguably one of the best known Italian jazz musicians. He originally played trombone, changing to the trumpet after hearing Miles Davis. In this recording Rava presents his own interpretations of operatic arias and overtures from Carmen.