Bizet / Serebrier: Carmen Symphony

Having orchestrated Gershwin’s piano works (at the request of Gershwin’s family), numerous Grieg songs, and more recently a symphonic synthesis of Janacek’s The Markropulos Case, Jose Serebrier compiled a sequence of orchestral interludes from Bizet’s Carmen to try to extend its magic to the concert hall. Carmen Symphony, unlike the well-known Carmen Suites, follows the thread of the opera. Serebrier has always been fascinated by the music of the Mexican composer Silvestre Revueltas, and Mexican Dance is his homage to this original composer. This and Serebrier’s own Night Cry are world premiere recordings.