THE highly-acclaimed Russian State Opera returns to Scarborough Spa on Thursday, September 29, with one of the most powerful, passionate and enjoyable operas – Carmen.

Feel the thrill and passion of love, jealousy and violence of 19th century Seville in one of Bizet’s most popular pieces.

Its mix of fierce passion, gorgeous melodies, nail-biting dramatic confrontations and musical wit has found favour all over the world almost since its first performance in 1875.

It tells the story of the downfall of Don José, a naïve soldier who is seduced by Carmen, free-spirited femme fatale. José abandons his childhood sweetheart and deserts from his military duties, yet loses Carmen's love to the glamorous toreador Escamillo.

The music of Carmen has been widely acclaimed for its brilliance of melody, harmony, atmosphere and orchestration, and for the skill with which Bizet represented, musically, the emotions and suffering of his characters. The Toreador Song is among the best known of all operatic arias.

If you’ve never tried opera before, you will love this full orchestra experience with fantastic colourful costumes, exquisite singing and those wonderful tunes that the audience will still be humming to themselves on their way home, making this a must see opera production for everyone.

Tickets for Carmen are priced £29.50 and £27.50 for concessions. Tickets are available from the Scarborough Spa box office on 01723 821888 and at scarboroughspa.co.uk