Les Pêcheurs de perles
Georges Bizet
Composed ten years before Carmen, Bizet’s first true opera already gave free rein to his talent for melody.
Dates
Sandra Hamaoui | Leïla
Jonah Hoskins | Nadir
Joshua Hopkins | Zurga
Matthieu Lécroart | Nourabad
Lorenzo Passerini | direction
Orchestre de chambre de Paris
Chœur de chambre de Rouen | direction Frédéric Pineau
About
The year was 1863, twelve years before the triumph of Carmen, and orientalism was in vogue. The youthful Bizet, who was just twenty years old but already boasted a Prix de Rome, composed an “exotic” work to satisfy the expectations of audiences of the day. On the island of Ceylon, two friends who are in love with the same woman take an oath not to seduce her. When one man betrays the other, their friendship is destroyed and the innocent party grows in stature through his forgiveness and sacrifice. The story is all about friendship and love on an island full of exotic colour, but Bizet is already showcasing many facets of his future work.
Coproduction Théâtre des Champs-Elysées | Céleste Productions