Magic Moments of Music | Grace Bumbry is Carmen

A film by Dag Freyer, ZDF/arte and UNITEL, 52 min

Her career almost seems like a fairy tale: Due to racial segregation, she was denied the opportunity to study at the St. Louis Institute of Music, even though she had won a scholarship in a competition.

But Grace Bumbry prevails against all odds: She celebrated her breakthrough in Bayreuth, where Wieland Wagner brought her for his “Tannhäuser”. Initially the victim of racist hostility, the press eventually celebrated her as a “black Venus” and the audience applauded her 40 times in front of the curtain. Carmen became one of her signature roles. Together with Herbert von Karajan, she is at the peak of her vocal and dramatic abilities. Her vocal power, her temperament and her minimalist portrayal continue to inspire singers who take on the role of Carmen to this day. Many have gone on to have great careers. Grace Bumbry’s was more than that: it was important – and “Carmen” was one of her finest moments. But “Carmen” was also a turning point in Bumbry’s career, which also demanded personal sacrifices from her and forced her to retrain from mezzo-soprano to soprano.

For mezzo-soprano Clémentine Margaine, who celebrated her breakthrough with “Carmen”, Garce Bumbry’s interpretation is still the reference. Grace Bumbry’s best friend since her youth, Felicia Weathers, draws parallels between the role of Carmen and Bumbry’s life. Anna Tomowa-Sintow, herself one of the greats of the opera stage, explains what makes Bumbry’s interpretation of “Carmen” so unique. Dominique Meyer, artistic director of La Scala in Milan, looks back on a long collaboration and friendship. And David Lee Brewer reviews Bumbry’s career in Bumbry’s music room on the day the apartment was cleared.