Enter the heart of creation and discover the artists at work!

The Paris National Opera offers Arop members the privilege of observing the work of the artists and the genesis of a production at different times: work sessions, pre-dress rehearsals and dress rehearsals.

CARMEN

No matter how much she warns them: “If you don’t love me, I love you; if I love you, beware”, Carmen enthralls and enraptures men, making them forget duty and reason. And so it is that a smitten Don José loses his honour for the sake of a flower thrown by a woman who knows no law other than her own desire.

No wonder this fiery gypsy caused a scandal on 3 March 1875, when Carmen premiered at the Opéra-Comique in front of an audience and press shocked by this “Castilian wantonness”. Georges Bizet died three months later aged just 36, never suspecting that his last opera would become one of the most performed in the world.

Eschewing the myth and clichés attached to Carmen, Calixto Bieito delivers a harsh, sensual production in which raw desire is nothing more than the manifestation of a woman’s passion for life, a woman courageous to the point of death.

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Conditions of access to dress rehearsals:

• The presentation of your Arop card is mandatory to collect your ticket at the Arop control on the same evening.

• At the Palais Garnier and the Opéra Bastille, we have "Protocol" seats.

• Seats are assigned by membership level: Founding Patron members (Mécène Fondateurs) have priority over Patron members (Mécènes).

• Seats are assigned by order of booking arrival (first booking, first served) and cannot be guaranteed in case of late registration.

• Seating is free in the reserved areas: we advise you to arrive one hour before the start of the rehearsal.

Download the details of the reservation conditions and the access conditions.