Les Pêcheurs de perles, Opera by G. Bizet
Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino in Florence stages a production of Georges Bizet's much-loved opera, Les Pêcheurs de Perles. This exciting staging focuses on some of the unusual rhythms and soothing harmonies that Bizet used to evoke South Asia when he wrote the opera. First performed on 30 September 1863 at the Théâtre-Lyrique in Paris, the story is set in Sri Lanka, then Ceylon, and tells a tale of love against a backdrop of pearl diving in the Indian Ocean.
Bizet was still in his twenties when he was commissioned to write a three-act opera for Léon Carvalho, the then-director of the Théâtre-Lyrique. That said, the young Frenchman had already made a name for himself having won the prestigious Prix de Rome a few years before. The libretto was provided by a duo of writers, Michel Carré and Eugène Cormon. Bizet scored the opera without much, if any, creative control over the libretto. Despite what some critics noted at the time as shortcomings in the plot, the young Bizet was able to come up with some remarkably memorable and evocative melodies for the opera.
Les Pêcheurs de Perles, or The Pearl Fishers as it is usually translated into English, is essentially a love triangle. The three main characters are a Brahman priestess named Léïla and two pearl fishermen, Nadir and Zurga. Something of a leader in his community, Zurga has a long-established friendship with Nadir which came under strain when they both fell for the same woman. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Léïla has a spiritual role in overseeing the safety of the pearl divers so she must remain veiled and pure. This means that when the three encounter one another again, Nadir recognises her but Zurga does not. In act two Nadir enters the sacred enclosure and the couple are reunited just as a huge storm breaks out. The villagers discover the pair have been together, blaming this for the storm. Soon, Léïla's identity is revealed. Zurga feels betrayed but in the ensuing act, he acts heroically attempting to save his old friend and the woman he still loves.
This early Bizet opera features the famous duet, Au fond du temple saint, which is sung by Zurga and Nadir. It is considered by many to be an operatic masterpiece that lifts Les Pêcheurs de Perles into a different class. Audience-goers will have the chance to enjoy it in full at Florence's Teatro del Maggio Musicale Fiorentino during this run of high-quality performances.