Georges Bizet died at the age of 36, thinking was a flop. He had barely reached the grave when those who had curled their lips at the premiere three months earlier - too immoral, too long, too formless - changed their minds, brought back to their senses by grief. History did the rest. A highlight of the opening weekend at the Edinburgh International Festival was a production from the Opéra-Comique in Paris, where the work had first been performed in March 1875. French authenticity, fluency and humour were only part of the success. This was the third Carmen I have ...
