I wouldn't call it a favourite, but every time I listen to the Callas recording I'm reminded how good it actually is. MInd you, I don't really like most Carmens (I'm talking about the character now). I've seen the opera on stage quite a few times now and Baltsa at Covent Garden got her. No silly, hip swinging vampishness. She was a real free spirit, a bit of a wild cat, but a woman who absolutey refused to subjugate herself to a man's idea of what she should be. Unfortunately on record, she is hampered by Karajan's slow tempi and by the use of an actor speaking her dialogue and, by the time the Met video was filmed, her portrayal had lost its spontaneity. On record I can only really take Callas, who understands the character better than anyone else I've heard.