Carmen-Suite = Кармен-Сюита

The Carmen Suite was conceived in 1967 as a collaborative reinterpretation of Georges Bizet's opera Carmen, commissioned by the ballerina Maya Plisetskaya. The arrangement was composed by Rodion Shchedrin, who utilized only percussion and strings to strip the familiar melodies down to their essential, rhythmic core. By removing the woodwinds and brass typical of the original orchestration, Shchedrin created a lean, modern soundscape intended to highlight the dramatic intensity required for ballet.

This specific recording on the Melodiya label features the Moscow Virtuosi conducted by Vladimir Spivakov. As an established Soviet-era release, the pressing reflects the state-run label's commitment to documenting virtuosic performances of contemporary adaptations of the classical canon. The suite remains widely recognized for its bold departure from traditional operatic conventions, successfully bridging the gap between the 19th-century source material and the minimalist sensibilities of the mid-20th century.