The Carmen Overture is the brilliant orchestral prelude to Georges Bizet's opera "Carmen," which premiered in Paris in 1875 and has since become one of the most frequently performed operas in the world. The overture vividly introduces the opera's main themes, including the festive march and the fateful "Destiny" motif, in a piano duet arrangement.

The Prélude to Act 1 of Georges Bizet's opera Carmen (1875) sets the stage with a vivid orchestral tableau, featuring the energetic march associated with the bullfighter Escamillo and a foreboding motif representing fate. One of the most performed operas in the world, Carmen's premiere was initially met with mixed reception before becoming a perennial classic of the operatic canon.