BIZET, GEORGES (b. Paris, France, October 25 1830: d. Bougival, June 3 1875 )
In spite of being blessed by great talent, Bizet's adult career was one of frustration.
His exceptional ability was recognised by the Paris Conservatoire which accepted him as a pupil at the age of nine. There he won many prizes, culminating with the Prix de Rome for his cantata, Clovis et Clothilde in 1857.
From then on existence was an uphill struggle. His personal life, always tumultuous, became chaotic when he married. Family responsibilities meant he had to take hack work to earn a living. Constant feuds between his wife and her mother drained him of energy.
Other people's problems contributed to his difficulties. Leon Carvalho, producer of his first two operas, The Pearl Fishers (1853) and The Fair Maid of Perth (1867) was always on the brink of bankruptcy. Bizet, who wrote at breakneck speed, always had to wait to get paid.
When the operas finally premièred the music was extravagantly received. Silly, weak libretti, however, were blamed for their short runs.
When Carmen opened in 1875, the first night audience was full of the stars of the French music world. With a strong libretto and exceptional music, the work was received better than his previous efforts. However, most of the composers present at the première were aghast. They accused Bizet of ' borrowing ' their music.
These unfounded accusations hurt him deeply. They were particularly ironic in the light of the hours he felt he'd been forced to waste doing piano transcriptions of other composers' work in order to earn money.
His health suffered as a result; then an ill-advised swim in the freezing Seine led to a heart attack and his death only three months after the première.
Carmen remains one of the most popular operas in the repertoire.
