 After Bizet 's death many of his manuscripts were lost ; works were revised by other hands , and published in these unauthorised versions so that it is often difficult to establish what is authentic Bizet . Even Carmen was altered into grand opera format by the replacement of its dialogue with recitatives written by Guiraud , and by other amendments to the score . The music world did not immediately acknowledge Bizet as a master and , apart from Carmen and the L 'Arlésienne suite , few of his works were performed in the years immediately following his death . However , the 20th century saw an increase of interest . Don Procopio was revived in Monte Carlo in 1906 ; an Italian version of Les pêcheurs de perles was performed at the Metropolitan Opera in New York on 13 November 1916 , with Caruso in the leading tenor role , and it has since become a staple at many opera houses . After its first performance in Switzerland in 1935 , the Symphony in C entered the concert repertory , and has been recorded by , among many others , Sir Thomas Beecham . Excerpts from La coupe du roi de Thulé , edited by Winton Dean , were broadcast by the BBC on 12 July 1955 , and Le docteur Miracle was revived in London on 8 December 1957 by the Park Lane Group . Vasco da Gama and Ivan IV have been recorded , as have numerous songs and the complete piano music . Carmen , after its lukewarm initial Paris run of 45 performances , became a worldwide popular success after performances in Vienna ( 1875 ) and London ( 1878 ) . It has been hailed as the first opera of the verismo school , in which sordid and brutal subjects are emphasised , with art reflecting life — " not idealised life but life as actually lived " . 
