The blood of passion surges and spills in one of the most beloved and widely performed works in operatic history. Animated by an all-star cast and audacious stagecraft, the conflicting worlds and failed romance of the sensual, rebellious Carmen and the possessive military man Don José absolutely burst off the stage.

From the stirring Toreador Song to the tauntingly seductive aria Habanera, Georges Bizet’s enduring and richly coloured melodies transcend the hummable; they don’t just gesture towards emotions, they embody the many shapes and shades of passion, from infatuation to violent jealousy.

Carmen wasn’t well-received when it debuted in 1875, but Bizet’s final masterpiece has since become a perennial audience favourite and a powerful artistic platform to explore class conflict and gender inequality.