Les Pêcheurs de perles, Bizet\\\'s first great attempt to write a dramatic lyrical drama is a hidden gem, often overshadowed by Carmen. But all that will surely change in the hands of the stand-out theatre collective FC Bergman. They immerse the story about the transience of love and friendship in a fascinating world. A must-see opera debut!
Practically all that has remained of Les Pêcheurs de perles in the collective memory is the beautiful duet Au fond du temple saint, while the view of the libretto as questionable hackwork has kept the opera from the stage. This operatic tale of pearls and fishermen has, in a sense, itself lain hidden within its shell. And wrongly so, because behind the intense, at times sentimental story and superficial exotic flourishes, there is a strikingly modern theme: nostalgia for the purity of youth.
In directing Les Pêcheurs de perles, the internationally acclaimed Antwerp theatre collective FC Bergman are venturing into opera for the first time. They mingle a hard realism with a mysterious, dreamlike atmosphere, a highly suitable combination for an opera that, in both the music and the story, connects a bygone age with the immediacy of the now. With this production, the Belgian conductor David Reiland will also be making his debut at Opera Vlaanderen.
Credits
by
GEORGES BIZET
libretto
EUGÈNE CORMON MICHEL CARRÉ
music director
DAVID REILAND
concept, regie, decor en belichting
FC BERGMAN
costume
JUDITH VAN HERCK
dramaturgy
LUC JOOSTEN
vocals
ELENA TSALLAGOVA CHARLES WORKMAN BORIS STATSENKO E.A.
chorus lead
JAN SCHWEIGER
execution
SYMFONISCH ORKEST OPERA VLAANDEREN KOOR OPERA VLAANDEREN
production
OPERA BALLET VLAANDEREN
coproduction
LES THÉÂTRES DE LA VILLE DE LUXEMBOURG L\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\'OPÉRA DE LILLE
Performances