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Cody Schreger
- Pearl Fishers
- (uncredited)
- …
Scott Weber
- Pearl Fishers
- (uncredited)
- …
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Featured review
Inconsistent but intriguing
Despite being Bizet's second most well-known opera after 'Carmen', 'Les Pecheurs De Perles' (The Pearl Fishers) while having some real pearls musically is not up to that opera's level.
Bizet's music is undoubtedly beautiful and certainly shows his gift for melody and orchestration, especially in Nadir's "Je crois entendre encore", Laila's "Comme autrefois" and the justifiably famous tenor-baritone duet "Au fond Du temple saint". To say that these three musical highlights are real pearls (pun intended) is not doing them enough justice. The exotic setting also convinces when done right, and while less than three-dimensional and not with an awful lot of depth (Zurga in Act 3 convinces the most characterisation-wise in the opera) the characters are likable.
On the other hand, the story is the prime reason, from personal opinion, as to why 'Les Pecheurs De Perles' isn't more well-known. It has its moments, but more in individual parts, but it is wafer- thin and inconsistent dramatically (the ensemble scenes feeling static and somewhat cut-and-paste, though it's hard to say whether that's the opera's fault or how it's executed, from experience it's a bit of both) its twist ending also being one of the most implausible in all opera.
Of the two productions seen of 'Les Pecheurs De Perles', the other dating from 2005 at Teatro De Fenice, a quite good production despite some unflattering and un-exotic costumes, a disappointing rendition of "Au fond Du temple saint" and a pretty poor Nadir, this one from the Met is the superior of the two. It is not perfect, and a slight let down after being so bowled over by the season's previous HD production of Berg's 'Lulu', but the exotic setting convinces more here despite not being exactly traditional and the Nadir is leagues better here.
The production's biggest problem is the stage direction. Not that there's anything gratuitous, distasteful or offensive (good for a non-traditional production), but –though the opera's story is partly to blame- dramatically it's inconsistent. There are high-points absolutely, you feel the friendship and affection between Nadir and Zurga in "Au fond Du temple saint" (far more so than in Teatro De Fenice's production), "Je crois entendre encore" is heart- breaking and sensitively staged and acted, "Comme autrefois" is charmingly intimate and a great job is done with Zurga in Act 3 ( by far the most rounded characterisation of the production). However, ensembles and less eventful scenes are present, neat and correct but needed more spark and more compelling thrust, the choruses are very static which robs the otherwise splendid Met chorus the chance to show off any individual personalities, despite the committed acting of all principals and beautifully realised chemistry the characters could have been much more interesting and sadly the production doesn't do anything to make the plot twist ending more plausible.
However, the production does look lovely and has a more exotic and atmospheric feel than Teatro De Fenice's production, despite the updating. Costumes while non-traditional are still more appropriate and flattering than the earlier performance, and the lighting has the right amount of atmosphere and intimacy. Video directing, picture and sound quality are excellent and Patricia Racette's hosting is warm, inviting and she seems genuinely interested in the answers given to her in the interviews. Musically, everything is spot-on, the orchestra play ravishingly and the chorus sound so well-rehearsed and balanced (and despite their lacking direction they do perform with engagement). Gianandrea Noseda's forceful but also accommodating conducting, which embraces every nuance and colour the score needs, helps make that possible too.
Principal performances are similarly excellent. Matthew Polenzani is particularly strong as Nadir, singing the killer "Je crois entendre encore" with to-die-for pianissimo singing, smooth as silk legato, some of the most beautiful singing he has ever given and wide- ranging musicality. His acting is heart-breaking in this aria too, and throughout it is a sensitive, deeply-felt interpretation, perhaps the best performance personally seen from him. He and Mariusz Kweicien blend beautifully together, the blending being much more successful than the leads for Teatro De Fenice's production. Kweicien makes for a vocally warm and dramatically vividly authoritative Zurga, especially in Act 3, while Diana Damrau sings like an angel and acts sincerely as Laila, at her best in "Comme autrefois" which fits her like a glove. The role of Nourabad is quite small, but Nicolas Testé sounds appropriately sonorous in it and acts with dignity and firmness.
All in all, inconsistent but intriguing. When it comes out on DVD, it's worth fishing for (again another pun intended). 7/10 Bethany Cox
Bizet's music is undoubtedly beautiful and certainly shows his gift for melody and orchestration, especially in Nadir's "Je crois entendre encore", Laila's "Comme autrefois" and the justifiably famous tenor-baritone duet "Au fond Du temple saint". To say that these three musical highlights are real pearls (pun intended) is not doing them enough justice. The exotic setting also convinces when done right, and while less than three-dimensional and not with an awful lot of depth (Zurga in Act 3 convinces the most characterisation-wise in the opera) the characters are likable.
On the other hand, the story is the prime reason, from personal opinion, as to why 'Les Pecheurs De Perles' isn't more well-known. It has its moments, but more in individual parts, but it is wafer- thin and inconsistent dramatically (the ensemble scenes feeling static and somewhat cut-and-paste, though it's hard to say whether that's the opera's fault or how it's executed, from experience it's a bit of both) its twist ending also being one of the most implausible in all opera.
Of the two productions seen of 'Les Pecheurs De Perles', the other dating from 2005 at Teatro De Fenice, a quite good production despite some unflattering and un-exotic costumes, a disappointing rendition of "Au fond Du temple saint" and a pretty poor Nadir, this one from the Met is the superior of the two. It is not perfect, and a slight let down after being so bowled over by the season's previous HD production of Berg's 'Lulu', but the exotic setting convinces more here despite not being exactly traditional and the Nadir is leagues better here.
The production's biggest problem is the stage direction. Not that there's anything gratuitous, distasteful or offensive (good for a non-traditional production), but –though the opera's story is partly to blame- dramatically it's inconsistent. There are high-points absolutely, you feel the friendship and affection between Nadir and Zurga in "Au fond Du temple saint" (far more so than in Teatro De Fenice's production), "Je crois entendre encore" is heart- breaking and sensitively staged and acted, "Comme autrefois" is charmingly intimate and a great job is done with Zurga in Act 3 ( by far the most rounded characterisation of the production). However, ensembles and less eventful scenes are present, neat and correct but needed more spark and more compelling thrust, the choruses are very static which robs the otherwise splendid Met chorus the chance to show off any individual personalities, despite the committed acting of all principals and beautifully realised chemistry the characters could have been much more interesting and sadly the production doesn't do anything to make the plot twist ending more plausible.
However, the production does look lovely and has a more exotic and atmospheric feel than Teatro De Fenice's production, despite the updating. Costumes while non-traditional are still more appropriate and flattering than the earlier performance, and the lighting has the right amount of atmosphere and intimacy. Video directing, picture and sound quality are excellent and Patricia Racette's hosting is warm, inviting and she seems genuinely interested in the answers given to her in the interviews. Musically, everything is spot-on, the orchestra play ravishingly and the chorus sound so well-rehearsed and balanced (and despite their lacking direction they do perform with engagement). Gianandrea Noseda's forceful but also accommodating conducting, which embraces every nuance and colour the score needs, helps make that possible too.
Principal performances are similarly excellent. Matthew Polenzani is particularly strong as Nadir, singing the killer "Je crois entendre encore" with to-die-for pianissimo singing, smooth as silk legato, some of the most beautiful singing he has ever given and wide- ranging musicality. His acting is heart-breaking in this aria too, and throughout it is a sensitive, deeply-felt interpretation, perhaps the best performance personally seen from him. He and Mariusz Kweicien blend beautifully together, the blending being much more successful than the leads for Teatro De Fenice's production. Kweicien makes for a vocally warm and dramatically vividly authoritative Zurga, especially in Act 3, while Diana Damrau sings like an angel and acts sincerely as Laila, at her best in "Comme autrefois" which fits her like a glove. The role of Nourabad is quite small, but Nicolas Testé sounds appropriately sonorous in it and acts with dignity and firmness.
All in all, inconsistent but intriguing. When it comes out on DVD, it's worth fishing for (again another pun intended). 7/10 Bethany Cox
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- TheLittleSongbird
- Mar 15, 2016
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