Les Pêcheurs de perles

“At the back of the holy temple, adorned with flowers and gold, a woman appears.” One of the most beautiful duets of French opera, “Au fond du temple saint,” formed the basis of Bizet’s first operatic work, which he wrote at the age of 25. It’s a tale of betrayed friendship, impossible love and sacrificial rituals. The fishermen Zurga and Nadir and the object of their desire, the priestess Leïla, form a love triangle, bound by an oath that is doomed to failure. The island of Ceylon in South Asia is the setting of this tragic story.

Programme

Distribution

Carole-Anne Roussel (soprano) : LEÏLA

Louis-Charles Gagnon (tenor) : NADIR

Bruno Roy (baritone) : ZURGA

Olivier Bergeron (baritone) : NOURABAD

Holly Kroeker : piano

 

Creative and tour team

Stage Direction : Alain Gauthier

Musical Direction : Esther Gonthier

Scenography : Pierre-Luc Boudreau

Lighting Design : Chantal Labonté 

Makeup Design : Elene Pearson

Technical Direction : Jean-Marie Gardien 

Technical Direction on Tour : Marie-Hélène Grisé (East Tour) and Eugénie Bégin (West Tour)

Assistant to Stage Direction : Chloé Ekker

 

A FIRST LOOK AT THE REPERTOIRE*

G. Bizet (1838-1875)

Act II: Air « Me voilà seule dans la nuit » (Leïla)*

Act III : Duo « Je frémis, je chancelle » (Leïla, Zurga)**
 
*Audio file recorded by Catherine St-Arnaud (soprano) and Esther Gonthier, (piano)
**Audio file recorded by Catherine St-Arnaud, (soprano), Geoffrey Schellenberg (baritone) and Esther Gonthier, (piano)
Recording and editing by Pierre Léger.
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