Jennifer Larmore : "Carmen"'s Habanera

[NobleTex217]

She is pretty hot and nice voice.

[lawnsausages]

If she'd sang l'amure she'd be tacking into the wind (I think) closer to most of my relationships than berries or love, but... some honey... berries (choice is yours)... chocolat... and a little du lendemain, can have you tacking into the wind all night =/

[alizaron50]

Boys and Girls, some of us LIKE "juicy" women.... :D

[DrSurprise]

Maria Callas sings it better than this thick figured woman

[mattymacg09]

@DrSurprise I don't really see the point in taking a shot at her for being "thick-figured" just because you don't like her interpretation of Habanera. Granted I don't care much for it either but I see absolutely no point in bringing up the fact that she is thick-figured.

[KeelerMediaGroup]

@mattymacg09 I would agree with DrSurprise, that she is "thick figured", why does that matter? would you sooner so powerful a role performed by a toothpick? Why should it even matter? She is a gorgeous woman with a gorgeous voice; why not just enjoy it, personally I like this version.

[VladAlexNet]

terrible, she is very bad opera singer. carmen monarcha is best!

[utahdan231]

@VladAlexNet .I don't know who you are . She's outstanding mezzosoprano.

[Mike98861]

i love her voice, very rich, warm and velvetty.

[didoupiaf]

great!

[deerioon]

vampirically sensual... i think she's amazing

[GeeEmOh]

love her, but her vowels spefically on "l'amour" sound off to me

[lanteean]

Best performance of this masterpiece

[sodapop0mac0raf]

Her voice is wonderful! A symbol of greatness!

[dxpeo]

Beautiful , just beautiful!

[betubeba]

If Ravel's Bolero is the perfect seduction, Jennifer Larmore's Habanera is beyond perfection!

[jennylalov]

It's total perfection!

[LittleLotte7793]

Beautiful voice, mediocre french.

[xSaneLunaticx]

Why is there a dislike button on this? O_o

[jamesglory1]

Sigh.. oh, I love her. Beauty and a voice that melts my heart.

[68aguilareal]

Hola, eres la bella creacion divina, gracias DIOS. Por haber creado ha las mujeres.

No tenemos como pagarles, por ser lo mas hermoso de toda la naturaleza.

[TwelveBridges]

can't say how much this track owns haha, love the eerie, ghostly, slightly insane feel to the whole piece haha :D

[rosamirafly]

She sings beautifully... love her voice:) But the decorations... eh, wasn't Carmen a poor factory worker? This looks like Madame de Pompadour in red :((

[leonellce]

como se siente la fuerza de la mujer

[TaOdNieznajomego]

Po prostu boski głos!

[tcradical]

I like her sound but I don't feel her, and the diction is weird, in my opinion she is a little fake, I don't think a bad person though, she seems nice and positive and that shows in her performances but the little fake part is the one that stops me from enjoying her work.

[xjpt]

She looks like Catherine Zeta-Jones

[Mariasonatta]

CriticaLxT... is OK, there is a video where she has an interview talking in perfect french so this is her interpretation at that moment.

Jennifer is one of the best and most important mezzos that the modern times have had.

Angela Gheordhiu is a liric soprano so she sounds well, but different, and this is a mezzo´s aria.

[Tenorbravo]

WONDERFUL , ORIGINAL AND UNIQUE...

[dangmills]

the diction is atrocious... but her tone is warm and beautiful

[LordHettrick]

Ouch...not the best pronunciation I've heard...weird, since Larmore is very fluent in French.

[horrorvictim]

@LordHettrick

Hmmm, maybe because in opera, words are often articulated, i.e. When you say "Je t'ame" you don't sound out the "me" but in opera you do. Maybe that's why you might think her pronunciation is not good here?

[AbazaIonut]

Angela Gheorghiu is much better than you!!!!! :D

[cantanteporsiempre]

@AbazaIonut That is not possible, Gheorghiu is a liryc soprano, she should never sing this role

[machiner6]

I was surprised that when I read the English translation, it rhymed quite well. Also, here's a little Geographical surprise: Spain and France are neighboring lands. That's why some people wear Spanish party hats when singing this. Like the Muppets version, for instance.

[a0e0roberts]

@machiner6 "Carmen" is a French opera, set in Seville Spain. Spanish party hats make sense.

[piatolla]

das waren noch Zeiten von Larmore...

[MariusMMS]

ah... no auto-tune :D

[eterno7]

she has a very clear and beautiful voice, sings with passion and it is tres forte but i must say i wish her pronunciation was more clear, yet one cannot expect every singer to sound the same

i still prefer Anna Caterina Antonacci

[CriticaLxThoughX]

@eterno7

In an other video you can see that she speaks fluently french, so I think, the pronunciation and the rolling "RRR" and everything is her interpretation of "Carmen´s" accent, which in my opinion is very passionate and charming. ;)

[Cinderella977]

Sublime

[jamesglory1]

Excellent.

[MultiMaria45]

magnifica interpretare

[LolitaAlchemist]

Her sister was my math teacher in high school. I was able to talk to her over the phone one day. It was pretty cool!

[Pityka001]

i love this song so much<3

[helldvl]

am sorry to say this but, although the begging was pretty good, but she really destroyed the piece by saying "Le mure" instead of "L'amour"....

Operas are supposed to be filled with power, and she failed to do so unfortunately

LET THE FLAMINGS BEGIN LOL!!

[solairekor]

I don't think she pronounces 'la mure'. It's more difficult for american to pronounce french 'u' than 'ou' . Almost american cannot pronounce exact french 'u'. I just hear she pronounces 'l'amour'. I think Kath Jenkins fans want to complain to her rival(?).

[jpstenino]

salsafiend 

I also hear "la mure"; it bites the ear. It is painful.

Thank you for the vocabulary lesson. Much appreciated.

[salsafiend]

This is ruined for me by the fact that she confuses the vowel 'ou' and 'u' in French. If you sing 'la mure' instead of 'l'amour', you are, unfortunately, singing 'the blackberry', and not 'love'. There's no point having a great voice if you've a tin ear for the language in which you're singing. Sorry to be a pedant, but it's a common failing with American singers who've put so much effort into learning how to pronounce 'tu'; they then use it for other vowels, resulting in these glaring mistakes.

[declique]

Yeah, the whole interpretation is rather unfortunate.

[llamasaresmelly]

@salsafiend I agree that her pronunciation is distracting. But it's much more than a problem with American singers. It's a universal trait. French singers often get confused with the hard vowels; Germans pronounce too deliberately, making it sound like they attack each note etc. The list goes on and on.

[LordHettrick]

@salsafiend She's singing "lèèèè muuuure"...Many blackberries!

[MRRookie232]

@salsafiend Unfortunately Salsafiend is one of the growing numbers of people who've forgotten to enjoy music but instead analyse it critically as if it was a quantum physics theory. Sit back and enjoy the music, her voice is great, i actually don't mind her mispronunciation because it only makes it more natural coming from her rather than being forced.

[CyndiWinter]

@salsafiend Maybe that's how she pronounces her last name... :-)

[watchme2day]

@salsafiend You know what, she's a beautiful woman with a beautiful voice and I dare say can sing better than any of us here so I'll give her the blackberry over love because I''m enjoying her music.

[mimistarrz]

<3!

[935514595]

i just love it

[Eathora]

perfect! do u know how long ive been looking for this version? no?...well..a while!

[mElyiSaA]

magnifique talant. ;D

[2HonestIam]

Too right,its awesome!Its a shame Kath Jenkins fans can't be honest with themselves,they are a bit like Robbie Williams fans,and won't admit their heroes can't sing very well!Can you imagine the Classic Brit organisers having KJ following this woman?I think not!Or any other opera singer infact!

[axman90210]

little bird.......i want to fly with you........

[vertikallimitz]

RobTurbo, your an uncultured pig

[chrispalmo]

@vertikallimitz

"you're"

[Robturbo1980]

i would like to give her it up the ass.!

[Tms0546]

@Robturbo1980 hahaha me 2 ;;

[Harpenfarker]

@Robturbo1980: AHHHH but there appears to be SO MUCH ass! ....Shame on BOTH of us NASTY MEN!

BEAUTIFUL WOMAN....MAGNIFICENT PERFORMANCE!

[vertikallimitz]

Sheesh, some of you really need to give it a rest - and you can sing better? She has a gorgeous rich voice.

[777gitano]

voice unic impresionantee!!!! molteee vella

[ChristinaLuiseNikita]

I'm not a native french, I just learned it for some years, but I think her pronounciation is horrible...anyway her voice isn't too bad !

[GERC66]

perfecto BRAVO i loved it i cried

[GosfordAbercrombie]

her voice was made for this role!!!!!! her control is wonderful and the timbre is exactly what i imagine a carmen sounding like! but yes, her pronunication is a bit meh!!!

[allenferrari]

Una voce per sognare!!

[MariBEllada]

Прекрасная Дженнифер Лэрмор, прекрасный видеоклип!

[irregularverb37]

Gorgeous voice.

[fashaS2ace]

this is a classic and opera singers from all over the world sing it, and obviously not everyone speaks french and/or have perfect pronounciation, give her a break. some people are confused because she keeps on singing "l'amour" and "je t'aime" which sounds like she's in love, but she sings "mais si je t'aime, prends garde à toi" and yes she is singing about fickleness of love, so i would interpret it as more teasing... =)

[kiafly86]

Horrible. Really horrible. She doesn't even use correct pronounciation!

[opraluvr]

And you should learn to spell correctly. Idiot.

[havenogee]

@opraluvr no need for that is there? why do people use youtube to make fun of people? its just a cowardly thing; to hide behind the internet so you can bully people..

[lovemeloveme5656]

it just may sound different to you because she has an opera voice... so the vowels are pronounced differently..

it sounds more open then the regular french if she were just speaking. not to mention she is french.

[444IceCold]

i love this song, one of my favorites!!

[vincaflowersss]

this is perfection , she brings it through with passion and play and yet indifference , bravo !

[rossodisera99]

voce bellissima, ottima presenza scenica, grande sensualità, proposta con "l'arroganza" che solo una Donna di razza può permettersi. complimenti vivissimi!

[Powerfulllestkid]

i want 2 find the piano sheets 2 this. If any1 knows where plz tell me

[TheStormArises]

its a part of carmen, bizet.

[joanabanyeres]

There are better Carmens

[KittyEvangeline]

a bit slow, but other than that its actually really good

[lilytoka]

Oh it was so beautiful! I really enjoyed !!!

[sixtythreelilah]

perfect just perfect

[tempercat27]

beautiful simply beautiful

[RagtimeFoxy]

That guy in the picture earlier on looks like Nicolas Cage. Yep. Yep.

[79siggy]

beats beyonce vids. very classy - lovely voice this makes me love opera

[jnnmrdgls]

bad french.

[eradesso]

I love Larmore to death but this so damn boring.

I don't get the "tease" effect of the text, it has to be playful and with this tempo it's more of a death scene than anything.

Unfortunately all the acting went into the video and not in the voice.

She's awesome in Baroque, especially as Giulio Cesare.

[DyingWithoutYourLove]

You dont really know the story of Carmen do you??? The "tease" effect is in the words. This song Carmen sings to the soldier men outside of the cigerate factoring she works at. Its a "seducing" song. At the same time that Carmen is seducing these men, she telling them that she will never love them.

[CJRicky87]

The perfect seduction.

[1401JSC]

Allegretto quasi andantino 1/4 = 72 writes Bizet. Why so lethargic?

Can't you seduce men at a faster tempo?

[MegaSuyan]

Beautiful voice XD now im addicted to opera! and im only 14! XD

[dulcicantor]

Nice!  You should check out Juan Diego Florez, Dmitiri Hvorostovsky, and Angela Gheorghiu for other arias. I love opera too. : )

[BlackHaloGoddess93]

I'll be 16 soon, and I'm addicted to opera, too. :P

[Lassy518]

i need this song

[antihector]

me too i can;t find it anywhere! lol

[yodavidnavarro]

Check Leontyne Price singing Habanera here on YouTube...

[SkyBlueBubbles1]

I love her voice...

Its so deep and very passionate about this. By listening to her voice u can understand how she feels singing this song. U can also guess wat the song is about. I guess this song is about her and someone else and she likes him but she doesnt want to say it. She is just admiring the man she luvs.

[duffer8391]

I love her voice and her rendition of this aria too.

The scene: Carmen is quite the Jezabel, and works in a cigarette factory .

As she comes out of the factory for her break, soldiers of the nearby detachment are jokefully asking her "When will you love us?" To which she replies laughinghly "I don't know, maybe never, maybe tomorrow, but not today, for sure!" She then sings this song, about the fickleness of love, which is like a bird that cannot be tamed, etc.

[Rebildflower]

no thats not right she sing about love and what it is and things like that

[Chilair1]

I think it could be debated that she doesn't love him. For carmen I think its all about the conquest.

[SeraphicRadience]

Or you can look up a translation of the song instead of guessing? ya?

Shes mocking/teasing a group of soldiers who ask her when she will love them by singing she doesn't know when or if she ever will since love is a fickle and rebellious thing

[BearKamus]

hermosa

[TheTerrorraven]

lovely deep voice. i am currently in an area that doesn't appreciate opera and fine music. *sighs* this is my favorite song and this lady does it superbly.

[corbalanangel]

exelente

[MasterThief1324]

The repeating melody seems to dance with the vocals

[Denmarknab]

I'm playing this at my school!!!

[TheRippedPianist]

Carmen is a mezzo soprano role. Sopranos can back off

[DianeT60]

Très bien chanté Carmen par Jennifer Larmore j'adore.

Merci

[LeafShinobiYuki]

This is amazing.

Not too many people can sing this.

[aryanc77]

The Best The Best The Best ...This is Carmen !!

[Disneyclassics009]

BRAVISSIMO

ESTUPENDO!!!!!!!!!

[TamiLona]

This is ''Bellcanto''. I like Thiiiiis . Aaaand She is very Beautifull.. Yeah..

[chicos0987]

I think best performed is from MARIA CALLAS , then Angela Geoghiu.

[jr1844]

Nah, Chico! If Bizet had seen Carmen as a soprano, he'd have written it for a soprano! Carmen is all darkness and depth -- mezzo all the way. Dark mezzo. Nobody beter than Larmore. See farr0222 below -- he gets it.

[farr0222]

This is how Carmen was meant to sound, MEZZO. Beautiful voice!! please Sopranos, leave this to a deep, girthy, sultry Mezzo.

[Chrisiant]

@farr0222 Well said. 

[RonaldBarone]

@farr0222 I have to agree with you... she sounds like what a real Carmen should sound.

Nut Grace Bumbry also did a very good job

[Egymagyarapa]

I have just found a Goddess 10 minutes before, Angela Gheorgiu. Here is the second, Jennifer Larmore!

I can not decide: both of them are Goddesses.

[blackydolly]

I love the look of two guys in background ei, ei, ei. They represent Jose and the Matador, don't they.

[sturmvogel2007]

Bravissimo!!!

[RandomGurl215]

c'est belle!!

[djgoens]

omg this song is so beautiful. i cant understand it but i can play it on saxophone

[softballfanatic247]

whoa me too!

[jgbaren]

Je suis si dur en ce moment

[psycho56]

I love the singing, but not the acting, I don't feel she gets the soul of Carmen

[cadwaele]

bonne performance!

[davidkhundadze1972]

Beautiful voice, plus artistic performance!

[gimmehearts]

marvelous

[BubbleBubble3000]

AWESOME!!! I love it!!!

[HLeeD18]

I think its hilarious how this opera takes place in Seville, Spain but its all in French! still such an amazing opera

[jr1844]

umm . . . Bizet was French . . .

[corellithebest]

Isn't it like that in almost all the Italian operas? I could mention only few Italian operas sung in Italian that take place in Italy and where characters are Italian (Rigoletto, Tosca, Gioconda, Simon Boccangera, Vespri Siciliani, Capuletti e Montecchi) And the only French opera I can think of (I may be wrong) where characters are French is Massenet's Manon. :) ;)

[ThydaKhmer]

Beautiful!

[NativeNewYorkGuy]

BRAVO! BRAVISSIMA!

Miss Larmore sings with passion and soul, its POWERFUL!

Those who are berating her French pronounciation are the high school French "experts" or must be from Quebec.

[kmcha1442]

This must be one of the best Carmen performances I've seen so far. It's still not what I imagined the first time I heard the song but it is full of anticipation, illicit love and just plain excitement, just like the words. She portrays it well.

[inuitka]

It's WONDERFUL <3

[Ketevan12]

She is very good!Bravo!

To people who speaks French: You have done nothing in your life beautiful like this and you are not happy.Don't try to neglect others.I speak 5 language,big deal.This is one way to show respect and professionalism to others.

[jr1844]

Oh Ketevan! I don't think it's the French speakers who are quibbling over the pronunciation! It seems to be English/American speakers with pretensions! If I'm wrong, we will surely hear from them. Meanwhile, your comments are right on! Ciao, darling!

[RosesSontRouges]

MERCI! Bien dit!

[italianboy1212]

is it in French?

[itachiuchiha369619]

such a beautiful song :')

[Nganguen]

What a wonderful interpretation!Marvelous voice and amazaing comedy!...Success!

[XtinaxFan]

L'oiseau que tu croyais surprendre battit de l'aile et s'envola ... l'amour est loin, tu peux l'attendre; tu ne l'attends plus, il est là! Tout autour de toi, vite, vite, il vient, s'en va, puis il revient ... tu crois le tenir, il t'évite, tu crois l'éviter, il te tient. L'amour! L'amour! L'amour! L'amour! L'amour est enfant de Bohème, il n'a jamais, jamais connu de loi;  si tu ne m'aimes pas, je t'aime: si je t'aime, prends garde à toi! (x2)

[undaultima]

Brava to anyone who knows the lyrics - otherwise the vowel distortion unables us to understand words...

[jr1844]

Oh who the heck cares? It's French, anyway!

[5lovelyangel]

wat is she saying?

[jr1844]

Oh, this is just such fun! An interesting interpretation, too. Sort of how Carmen would be if she ever got out of the cigarette factory, off the streets, and yes, away from the Army! And of course, brava to the great Jennifer Larmore!

[sillynut91]

Beautiful...

:)

[creed1230]

this is my fav one

[GilmoreGirl6510]

j'adore cette chanson aussi!!

[clevm002]

Its a tad ott

[matteobs86]

Meravigliosa Jennifer!!!!

[demdio07]

her pronunciation is atrocious

[pweny]

you try it, bozo.

[jill604]

well she sounds gorgeous but at the begginnig especially it was hard to understand the words :)

[b1orp]

tez tak będe spiewac xD

[x0x0xjaninax0x0x]

jaaaaaaaa^^

[jesanth13]

j'adore cette chanson

[Tenderness6]

What a beautiful light on her upper body.

[Gramcracer88]

absolutely beautiful

[leonellce]

preciosa jennifer y fuerte para cantar

[wiilov]

I love this song...

[corellithebest]

Excuse me, where is this singer from? Her acting is very interesting and unique. I have never seen something similar.

[andremad75]

She's american, I think, and she's amazing.

[Mlp1512]

She is from marietta Georgia.