DESCRIPTION:
Carmen is an opera in four acts by the French composer Georges Bizet

Act 1
A square in Seville. On the right a door to the tobacco factory. At the back, a bridge. On the left, a guardhouse
A group of soldiers relaxes in the square, waiting for the change of guard and commenting on the passers-by ("Sur la place, chacun passe"). Micaëla appears, seeking José; Moralès tells her José is not yet on duty, and invites her to wait with them. She declines, saying she will return later. José arrives with the new guard, which is greeted and imitated by a crowd of urchins ("Avec la garde montante").
As the factory bell rings the cigarette girls emerge and exchange banter with young men in the crowd ("La cloche a sonné"). Carmen enters and sings provocatively of the untameable nature of love (habanera: "L'amour est un oiseau rebelle"). The men plead with her to choose a lover; after some teasing she throws a flower to Don José, who thus far has been ignoring her but is now annoyed by her insolence.