Bizet: Carmen & L'Arlésienne Suites by Eugene Ormandy (2026 Remastered, Philadelphia 1959-1963)

The lack of success at the first performances of L’Arlésienne (1872) led Bizet to arrange a concert suite (No. 1) comprising four numbers. It achieved immediate and lasting success. The compilation that gave rise to Suite No. 2 was undertaken by Ernest Guiraud, a friend and colleague of Bizet, and although his writing does not possess the same subtlety as Bizet’s, this suite nonetheless deserves to stand alongside Suite No. 1.

While Carmen (1875) initially received a very mixed reception from both audiences and critics, a long process of institutional recognition eventually secured its lasting legacy. When Bizet died at the age of thirty-six (1875), at the very moment the curtain was falling on the thirty-third performance of Carmen, he was a broken man, embittered by the rejection of his work. 

In 1885, Ernest Guiraud prepared a first orchestral suite, followed shortly thereafter by a second symphonic suite. A renowned transcriber, arranger, and orchestrator, Guiraud’s two suites contributed greatly to the rediscovery of the opera and to its eventual recognition as a “timeless masterpiece.”

The Philadelphia Orchestra experienced its golden age under the baton of Eugene Ormandy. Critics referred to it as “the solid gold Cadillac of orchestras” during the Ormandy era, perhaps implying a certain ostentatious brilliance. Yet listening to the many recordings he made with the ensemble clearly shows that Ormandy shaped it into one of the finest orchestras in the world, capable of subtle nuances, remarkably refined phrasing, and a tonal palette suited to every repertoire.

This remastered edition lifts what seemed like a veil present in the original release. Everything becomes clear and intelligible; the stereo image opens up, allowing the extraordinarily rich tonal palette of these suites to unfold freely and without constraint.