CARMEN is probably the most popular opera ever composed. Alas, this masterpiece was the final work of Georges Bizet, who died a few weeks after its dismal world premiere. Seattle Opera Dramaturg Jonathan Dean discusses Bizet’s genius and career with Assistant Conductor Phil Kelsey, who also contributes musical examples at the piano. Dean and Kelsey consider THE PEARL FISHERS, LA JOLIE FILLE DE PERTH, DJAMILEH, Bizet’s “Chanson d’Avril,” and CARMEN, plus operas by Bizet’s contemporaries, including LAKMÉ by Léo Délibes and SAMSON ET DALILAH by Camille Saint-Saëns. An extended quote from the Memoirs of Céleste Venard, aka La Mogador, is read by Ginger Costa-Jackson.