(Section B)
Leader, Paul Beard
Conducted by Clarence Raybould
1 Les contrebandiers (The smugglers). 2 Habanera. 3 Nocturne. 4 Marche militaire. 5 Final: Seguidillas
Weber's Euryanthe and Bizet's Carmen represent two extremes in opera: the perfect failure and the perfect success. Despite the fact that Weber's Euryanthe contains some of his finest music, it is now rarely performed except for the stirring overture, the simple reason being that the libretto is one of the worst in operatic history.
Carmen, on the other hand, which began as a failure and then became one of the most popular operas in the repertoire, is a combination of a good story set to brilliant and sparkling music.