Russian State Ballet and Opera House

The Russian State Opera, whom stunning productions of Rigoletto and La Traviata wowed audiences last year, will be returning to the UK with another popular opera, Carmen - an exciting and colourful story with high passion and tragedy.

Its mix of fierce passion, gorgeous melodies, nail-biting dramatic confrontations and musical wit has found favour all over the world almost since its first performance in 1875.

Feel the thrill and passion of love, jealousy and violence of 19th Century Seville in one of Bizet’s most popular pieces.

It tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a naïve soldier who is seduced by Carmen, a seductive, free-spirited femme fatale. José abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts from his military duties, yet loses Carmen's love to the glamorous toreador Escamillo.

Love, treachery, passion and betrayal, Carmen has it all.

The music of Carmen has been widely acclaimed for its brilliance of melody, harmony, atmosphere and orchestration, and for the skill with which Bizet represented, musically, the emotions and suffering of his characters.

The rich and colourful vigour of the gypsies’ scenes will have you on the edge of your seat, and the vibrancy, enthusiasm and intensity of the performance will reverberate long after the final curtain.

If you’ve never tried opera before, you will love this full orchestra experience with fantastic colourful costumes, exquisite singing and those wonderful tunes that the audience will still be humming to themselves on their way home, making this a must see opera production for everyone.