Bizet, The Pearlfishers:  Soloists,  orchestra and chorus of Opera Boston, Gil Rose (conductor), Boston, Massachusetts, 8.05.2007 (LS)

Conductor:  Gil Rose
Stage Director:James Marvel
Producer Carol Charnow
Scenic Designer: Susan Zeeman Rogers
Costume Designer:  Nancy  Leary
Lighting Designer:  Christopher Ostrom
Chorusmaster:  Edward Jones
Choreographers:  Prometheus Dance:  Diane Arvanites-Noya and Tommy Neblett
Puppet Designer-Eric Ting
Repetiteur: Linda Osborn-Blaschke
Supertitles and Diction: Allison Voth

Cast:

Zurga:Robert Honeysucker
Nadir:Yeghishe Manucharyan
Leila:Jee Hyun Lim
Nourabad:George Cordes

 

Bizet's  composed his seventh opera in  1863 at the age of 24  for the Theatre Lyrique.  He had just returned from Rome where he had won the Prix de Rome. The contract was signed in April and the opera was first performed at the end of September. 

The plot is relatively simple.  The tenor Nadir and baritone Zurga each love the virgin priestess Leila but swore never to see her again in order to preserve their friendship. As the opera opens, Zurga is selected as the absolute leader of the fisherman. Nadir appears and  congratulates Zurga.  Everyone is happy.

Suddenly a veiled priestess enters to sing and pray for the fisherman.  Of course she is Leila.  She and Nadir recognize each other.  The high priest Nourabad  leads her to the temple where she will stay alone during the night.  He reminds her of her vows of chastity and purity and she reiterates that she will be faithful even if confronted by death.

But, in the best tradition of virgin priestesses-Giulia in La Vestale, Norma - and the even  more relevant  Neala in Donizetti's Il Paria - the tenor triumphs and  things look bad for the lovers.

But, there's a happy ending here thanks to a  necklace Zurga had once given Leila when she save his life. Zurga sets his village on fire to  drive off the pearlfishers.  Nadir and Leila escape, and Zurga is left alone on the stage awaiting his fate at the hands of the enraged pearlfishers as the curtain falls.

The Pearlfishers has had an odd performance history.  After its initial run of eighteen performances it was never heard again during Bizet's short lifetime.  He died just before his thirty eighth birthday.  The Pearlfishers reappeared towards the end of the 19th century in a variety of forms.  At least two different endings-both tragic-were created by various publishers.  Over 100 years later- in 2002- Brad Cohen  created his own edition which used original and unpublished source material consistent with Bizet's vision.  Opera Boston's production utilized Cohen's  critical edition.

The two blockbuster arias in Pearlfishers are both in Act I.  The first is the Zurga-Nadir duet" Au fond du temple saint" and the second is the tenor aria " Je crois entendre encore".  The theme of the duet reappears from time to time and ultimately brings a tremendous poignancy to the finale.

Robert Honeysucker gave a magnificent performance as Zurga. I first heard him in 1980 when he performed in Verdi's King for a Day.  Since then  Boston audiences have counted on Honeysucker to  sing with dignity, precision, and  beauty and they have never been disapponted.  His repertoire includes the Count de Luna, Germont, Ford, Iago, Amonasro, Rigoletto and on and on.  Why he has not appeared at the more prestigious opera houses is beyond me.

The role of Nadir is particularly taxing.  Alain Vanzo, the great French tenor, set a  standard in the 1959 recording with Jeannine Micheau and Gabriel Bacquier that will be hard to beat.  The young Yeghishe Manucharyan  though perhaps not quite as delicate as Vanzo certainly acquitted himself quite well.  His falsetto at the end of "Je crois entendre" was very beautiful and reminded me not only of Vanzo, but also Giuseppi Sabbatini's rendition  of " Seul sur la terre" at the end of Act II of Donizetti's Dom Sebastien.  Manucharyan's credits include Rodolfo in Luisa Miller, Riccardo in Maria Di Rohan, Gerald in Lakme,  Rodolfo , Lenski, Percy in Anna Bolena, and Arigio in Tancredi.

Inasmuch as I was able to get seats only in the balcony of this sellout performance I was grateful that Manucharyan's voice-like Honeysucker's-carried well into the stratosphere of the beautifully renovated Majestic theatre. Both he and Honeysucker received  roars of applause by the excited audience.

In contrast to La Vestale and Norma, the role of Leila does not dominate the opera. Her one solo aria is beautiful but not in the same league as the tenor's" Je crois entendre".  Jee Hyun Lim sang Leila with plenty of emotion and was well received by the audience. Her credits include Mimi, Cio Cio-San, Pamina, Susanna, Marguerite, and Liu on stages throughout the world.

George Cordes sang Nourabad well in an appropriate  high priest style.

The production featured spirited dancing,  literally flying visions of  Leila, dramatic lighting effects, and   pantomime- but minimal scenery.  The first appearance of Leila was stunning behind a slowly rising curtain.  I was a bit taken aback to see Manucharyan sing the first part of 'Je crois entendre' flat on his back, but again, as I was in the balcony, I had  no problem seeing or hearing him.

All in all, it was a wonderful night for opera in Boston.

 

Lew Schneider