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SEEN
AND HEARD INTERNATIONAL OPERA REVIEW
Bizet, Les
pêcheurs de perles: Soloists, Chorus
and Orchestra of Lyric Opera of Chicago, John Mauceri
(conductor) Lyric Opera Center, Chicago 25.10.2007 (JLZ)
Production:
Director: Herbert Kellner
Original Production: Nicolas Joël
Original Designer: Hubert onloup
Set Designer: Scott Marr
Lighting Designer: Duane Schuler
Chorus Master - Donald Nally
Cast:
Leïla:Nicole Cabell
Zurga: Nathan Gunn
Nadir: Eric Cutler
Nourabad: Christian van Horn
The second of Lyric Opera of Chicago's offerings for the 2008-2009
season, the current production of Bizet's Les pêcheurs de perles
(The Pearlfishers) is striking for several reasons. As a
revival of the production designed for the
company's 1997-1998 season, the set
and staging certainly conveys the work's
original intentions, with deep blues and related hues that
suggest the island of Ceylon, where the action takes place. The
conception makes efficient use of the space on stage, providing
both an expansive venue for the scenes requiring
full ensembles, and also offering a
comfortable setting for the numbers that involve the principals.
In the casting, Lyric assembled some of
the finest singers available for this work, and in doing so arrived
at a memorable production.
The narrative of Bizet's Pearlfishers revolves around the
rivalry between two friend for the love of
the same woman, a situation complicated by
a sworn oath of
brotherhood between them. One
of the men, Zurga, had been saved by the
woman Leïla years before, and gave her as a token of
gratitude. The other man, Nadir, had been
friends with Zurga in their youth, and on
returning to their
village after an absence, Zurga renews his
vow of brotherly friendship with him. When
Leïla becomes the priestess in the pearlfishers' village, the priest
Nourabad affirms her role as sacred: she can neither reveal her
personal identity nor take a lover while
she holding the office,
otherwise she faces death. At some point Nadir realizes that the
priestess must be Leïla and seeks her out.
Nourabad happens to witness the encounter
and demands the lives of both Leïla and
Nadir for this breach of vows. Out of friendship for Nadir, Zurga
insists that as leader of the pearlfishers,
he alone can sanction the deaths.
Nevertheless, Nadir and Leïla are to be executed, and when Leïla
speaks with Zurga, his feelings for her
make him jealous of her love for Nadir. As a result Zurga denies
Leïla's pleas that Zurga spare Nadir. Instead he
confirms he resolve to execute both of them. Resigned to the
inevitable, Leïla returns the necklace to Zurga, so that Zurga can
return it to her mother after she dies.
This gesture calls to mind the sacrifice Leïla had made for Zurga,
and the debt he owes her for saving his life.
Despite risking his own execution my Nourabad,
Zurga creates a distraction by setting
fire to the village in order to allow
Leïla and Nadir to escape.
Drawing upon the emotional situations implicit in this narrative,
Bizet fashioned an effective musical score that endures.
Even so, the famous duet between Zurga and
Nadir, "Au fond du temple saint" is known
better than the rest of the opera
and the striking placement of
this engaging piece early in the opera stands out as one of Bizet's
bold strokes in this 1863 work. From the outset
then, the audience is familiar with
the intense bond of friendship between Zurga and Nadir, and Bizet is
able to invoke that idea throughout the rest of the work by bringing
back the music from the duet. These
later quotations are not so much a Wagnerian element, but draw on
the older operatic tradition of
the "reminiscence motive,"
recurring in the literal way that Bizet
uses the idea. (By contrast, Wagner's
approach to Leitmotif
implies a whole set of ideas that are
developed in various ways and sometimes combine, unlike the more
straightforward way that Bizet treats his
thematic material.) Nevertheless, it is telling
musical device in the final act when the reminiscence of "Au
fonds du temple saint" shifts from the men
to Nadir and Leïla, and thus foreshadows the dénouement.
This production is fortunate in having four strong principals who
deliver impressive performances. As Leïla, Nicole
Cabell is outstanding in all three acts. Demanding as the role can
be, Cabell is not only effective in executing the music, but
persuasive in her embodiment of the role. Her first-act aria ("O
Dieu Brahma!") sounded effortless, with its ornate coloratura line
contrasting with the more syllabic music
from the chorus which
sets the stage at the beginning of the scene or
Zurga's more declamatory music when
he takes charge of the pearlfishers. Cabell's depiction of the
impassioned Leïla is crucial for the second act, and her work with
Eric Cutler (Nadir) was well considered.
The timbres of the two singers fitted
together very convincingly,
with some particularly effective
middle register singing from Cabell when
vacillating between her vows as priestess
and her love for Nadir. In the ensuing love duet ("Ton coeur avait
compris le mien"), Cabell was slightly
difficult to hear her, due to
some momentary over - enthusiasm
from the orchestra
which otherwise responded well to John
Mauceri's leadership. In the third act, the scene between
Zurga and Leïla revealed more drama and Cabell demonstrated the
Leïla's resolve with
great dignity and musical sense. When Bizet finally gives the
the theme from "Au fond du temple saint" to Leïla, Cabell's
understated treatment of the passage was
haunting.
As Nadir, Eric Cutler played the role almost effortlessly. As
demanding as the part can be, Cutler's voice handled the sometimes
difficult changes of register very well,
in what some regard as a "mixed voice" role. He worked well with
Nathan Gunn in the famous duet but
was just as impressive when delivering
his first aria "Des savanes et des
forêts" with astounding accuracy. Cutler is well
suited for the
his role's demands in vocal range.
His upper register is secure and ringing, while his middle range is
more resonant. In this sometimes treacherous part, Cutler is, above
all, secure and reliable, demonstrating a
fine stage presence to convey Nadir's
lyrical and more reflective aspects. In
this regard, the sometimes subtle details he used to shape the part
were wonderfully audible.
Similarly, Nathan Gunn created a
believable character as Zurga, making his
music work very well
indeed. In addition to his fine work with Cutler in the duet,
the third act soliloquy "O Nir, tendre ami" was memorable for the
fine emotional pitch that Gunn brought to
the role. He was incisive without resorting to melodrama, a detail
that is truly important for this work.
Overall, Gunn approached this score with style and captured the
work's spirit with acting
ability supporting
his fine voice so comfortably,
that the final resolution, upon realizing what he must
ultimately do, became wholly believable.
Familiar to Lyric audiences for roles he depicted in past seasons,
such as the title character in Britten's Billy Budd, Gunn
left everyone with a strong impression
of masterful work in The
Pearlfishers.
In the role of Nourabad, Christian van Horn was incisive, with
clear enunciation delineating his
character. His diction and resonant voice
duly called attention to the role's
importance, which is significant
as Nourabad's actions propel the plot.
His demands for justice precipitate the
difficult decisions Zurga must make which in turn
seal Zurga's sad fate. A strong presence on stage,
Van Horn thus brought the nesessary
physical and vocal clarity to his entire
performance. (Such clarity was not always so apparent in the
otherwise well-rehearsed chorus. With the
choral numbers setting the stage in several scenes, such detail is
important to The Pearlfishers).
Dating from two years before Richard Wagner's iconic
Tristan und Isolde, Bizet's story of ill-fated love remains a
moving work in its own right. While The Pearlfishers will never
supplant the later Carmen in
popularity, it remains a fine example of the Romantic tradition of
French opera, an important part of the repertoire,
which deserves all of
the fine execution that Lyric Opera
of Chicago gave the work.
Conductor John Mauceri offered a fine
reading of the score which allowed
its many details to emerge readily. With
its well thought out
dramatic direction, this staging made Bizet's Pearlfishers
extremely effective
and in many respects even
memorable.
James L Zychowicz