MARBECKS COLLECTABLE: Bizet: Carmen (complete Franco Zeffirelli production recorded in 1978)

The Vienna Carmen from 1978 is a sensational filmed document from the musical legacy of Carlos Kleiber: the meticulous conductor only ever conducted a highly selected repertoire, and among his very few audio and video recordings are only seven complete operas.

The staging by Franco Zeffirelli is the only premiere that Kleiber ever conducted. The maestro conducted an extraordinary cast. Placido Domingo, still the young lyrical tenor, starred as Don José, and Elena Obraztsova gave a wonderful natural Carmen, a far cry from the usual she-devil erotic cliché.

The cast was completed by the young Isobel Buchanan, who stood in at this production at short notice, and included Yuri Mazurok who was later to become a high ranking Verdi baritone.

The Viennese audience in the opera house hailed the performance as a triumph.

Sound Format: PCM Stereo

Picture Format: 4:3

Running Time: 154 mins