Carmen

Under the scintillating direction of James Levine, the Met’s orchestra and chorus add more than a dash of seasoning to Bizet’s colorful score. A brilliant cast makes this popular work seem utterly fresh. Agnes Baltsa is riveting as Carmen, the impetuous gypsy woman determined to always be her own woman—while having any man she desires. José Carreras is heartbreaking as Don José, the man who falls into her snare, makes the mistake of loving her, and cannot stand to lose her to the strutting matador, Escamillo (Samuel Ramey).