Carmen, one of the most emblematic operas, still challenges its audience as much as when it was first staged, 140 years ago. The eponymous heroine defends her freedom and her right to choose her lovers instead of her being chosen by them. She is a menace for patriarchic societies, dominated by men. Her choices threaten the foundation of these societies. The only solution is to exterminate her. A task that is undertaken by the love-stricken and “betrayed” Don José. An unconventional plot, met by Georges Bizet’s equally unconventional, and today most celebrated music. The most popular opera of the French repertoire, featuring wonderful arias and superb choruses, will be conducted by Lukas Karytinos and directed by the distinguished British director and Artistic Director of the Göteborg Opera, Stephen Langridge.