Had it not been for his untimely death at the age of 36, French composer Georges Bizet might have outshone his contemporaries. Carmen, the work for which he is best remembered, was first performed only three months before his death and has since become one of the most popular operas of any age.
Luckily for posterity, Bizet's lively Symphony in C came to light nearly 80 years after its composition. Discovered in the archives of the Paris Conservatory, where the young prodigy was admitted at the age of 9, it was written while he was a 17-year-old student. A work of remarkable freshness, the Symphony in C both recalls early Mozart and anticipates Carmen's elegant orchestrations and balanced classical forms. Since its discovery and premiere in 1935, it has become a staple of the concert repertoire and a favorite of performers and audiences.