 While La jolie fille was in rehearsal , Bizet worked with three other composers , each of whom contributed a single act to a four @-@ act operetta Marlborough s 'en va @-@ t @-@ en guerre . When the work was performed at the Théâtre de l <unk> on 13 December 1867 it was a great success , and the Revue et Gazette Musicale 's critic lavished particular praise on Bizet 's act : " Nothing could be more stylish , smarter and , at the same time , more distinguished " . Bizet also found time to finish his long @-@ gestating Roma symphony , and wrote numerous keyboard works and songs . Nevertheless , this period of Bizet 's life was marked by significant disappointments . At least two projected operas were abandoned with little or no work done . Several competition entries , including a cantata and a hymn composed for the Paris Exhibition of 1867 were unsuccessful . La Coupe du Roi de Thulé , his entry for an opera competition , was not placed in the first five ; from the fragments of this score that survive , analysts have discerned pre @-@ echoes of Carmen . On 28 February 1869 the Roma symphony was performed at the Cirque Napoléon , under Jules Pasdeloup . Afterwards Bizet informed Galabert that on the basis of proportionate applause , hisses and catcalls , the work was a success . 
