TOREADOR – an aria from the opera Carmen

The Portrait of Bizet’s Aria TOREADOR

Read Interesting facts and hear great YouTube Videos about the famous Aria “Toréador”.

If you want to hear more about the opera Carmen, click on the link to the opera portrait

The Aria – Synopsis & Background

Synopsis: And the macho? He enters the stage with a big gesture. Rarely has there been a bigger and more spectacular stage appearance than for Escamillo, the glorious Toreador.

There are different views on how this role should be sung. Should it be sung lyrically or heroically and loudly? The toreador is a person with good manners. He never gets rough or rude. Sure he is proud of himself and superior, but never loud (fortissimo), because he does not need that.
He describes the bullfight, but also the eye that will watch him and then later expects him pour l’amour. So this role has to be played elegantly and masculine but not rough. There is a wonderful anecdote to illustrate this. At a rehearsal for the opera Carmen, a singer roared in such a way that Thomas Beecham felt compelled to say to him: “Would you please remember, sir, that you are engaged for the role of Torero and not for the bull?”

The Aria – the text of Toréador

Votre toast, je peux vous le rendre
Señors, car avec les soldats
Oui, les toreros peuvent s’entendre;
Pour plaisirs, ils ont les combats!
Le cirque est plein
C’est jour de fête!
Le cirque est plein du haut en bas;
Les spectateurs perdant la tête
S’interpellent à grands fracas!
Apostrophes, cris et tapage
Poussés jusques à la fureur!
Car c’est la fête du courage!
C’est la fête des gens de coeur!
Allons! en garde! allons! allons! ah!
Toréador, en garde!
Et songe bien, oui
Songe en combattant
Qu’un oeil noir te regarde
Et que l’amour t’attend

TOUS
Toréador, en garde!
Toréador! Toréador!
Et songe bien, oui
Songe en combattant
| qu’un oeil noir te regarde
Et que l’amour t’attend
Toréador, l’amour, l’amour t’attend!

Stimmfach Character baritone / Heroic baritone

The role of Escamillo is written for a character baritone. The baritone combines the dignity of the bass with the brilliance of the tenor (Rietmann). The voice of the character baritone is slightly darker than that of the lyrical baritone. The roles of the character baritone are usually sung by experienced and mature singer.

Famous interpretations of Toréador

I chose this scene for you from a beautiful film adaptation with Ruggiero Raimondi as Escamillo.

Toréador (1) – Raimondi

You will hear a second version of Ernest Blanc from Beecham’s great complete recording.

Votre Toast je peux vous le rendre (2)  –  Blanc/Beecham

A third version you hear from Robert Merrill from the great Karajan recording.

Votre Toast je peux vous le rendre (3)  –  Merrill/Karajan

A noble interpretation from Nicolai Ghiaurov a bass voice.

Votre Toast je peux vous le rendre (4)  –  Ghiaurov

Peter Lutz, opera-inside, the online opera guide to the Aria Toreador from the opera Carmen