Bizet | Carmen - L’amour est un oiseau rebelle (Habanera), act 1 sc. 5 (1875)
 
When Georget Bizet died at the age of 37 - 3 months after the first, ruinous representation of the Carmen at the Opéra-comique in Paris - he could have no clue that his last creation would soon become one of the most beloved and performed operas in history. After initial reluctance, worldwide critics over time would praise Carmen as a celebration of love in its most rebellious and untamed form, delivered with disrupting musical innovation and cross-border influences, of which Habanera is the manifesto. Here Carmen makes her first appearance singing “L'amour est un oiseau rebelle”, with a memorable cadence typical of the Cuban “habanera” musical form - arranged from Yradier’s “Er arreglito” - setting the erotic, hypnotic, melodic and romantic imprint of her unforgettable character.