By J. S. Marcus [WSJ, 8 October 2010]

BARCELONA—If you love classical music, then you love Georges Bizet's "Carmen." A flop when it premiered in Paris in 1875, the opera quickly installed itself as one of the most popular in the repertory. With its unabashed depiction of Seville low-life, and top-heavy with irresistible hits like the "Toreador Song," the opera was seen as a perfect fusion of the realistic and the hummable. After more than a century as an opera-house workhorse, the music may be as lovable as ever, but actual productions aren't always very likable. Enter Spanish director Calixto Bieito.