SATO: Bizet's Pearlfishers

Something serendipitous in today's opera... Serendib is the ancient Persian name for the island nation of Sri Lanka, located south and east of the coast of India.

In 1505, a Portuguese fleet was exploring the coastline of India. An adverse windstorm blew up and the fleet commanded by Lourenço de Almeida into a port. Almeida received a friendly audience from the king of Kotte, Vira Parakrama Bahu, and was favourably impressed with the commercial and strategic opportunities there. He started the colonization of the island, and set up a roaring trade in tea, cinnamon, sugar, coffee, and rubber.

It was the art historian Horace Walpole who later coined the term Serendipity - meaning the accidental discovery of something fortunate, especially while looking for something else entirely.

The "Venerable Island" of Sri Lanka (aka Ceylon) is the setting of today's opera, Les pêcheurs des perles (The Pearl Fishers), by Georges Bizet. For thousands of years, most seawater pearls were retrieved by divers working in the Indian Ocean, in areas such as the Persian Gulf, the Red Sea, and in the Gulf of Mannar (between Sri Lanka and India).

And while getting a geography and history lesson - YOU the listener discover some fabulous Canadian vocal talent in this production of l'Opéra de Montréal. Seredipitous, I'd say!

Love triumphs over jealousy in this pearl of the French repertoire. Set on the exotic island of Ceylon, an earthly paradise of centuries past, the bond between two friends is jeopardized by their rivalry for the love of a priestess. Vocalists Karina Gauvin, Phillip Addis and Antonio Figueroa form the romantic triangle, and Frédéric Chaslin conducts.

And for you extra exuberant Pearl Fisher fans, here's some more information on the opera:

Les Pêcheurs des perles (The Pearlfishers)
Opera in three acts.

Music by Georges Bizet
Libretto by Michel Carré and Eugène Cormon

Premiere: September 30, 1863 Théâtre Lyrique, Paris
This production November 22, 2008, Place des Arts, Montréal

Cast and Characters
ZURGA,leader of the pearlfishers: Phillip Addis, baritone
NADIR, fishing buddy of Zurga: Antonio Figueroa, tenor
LEÏLA, a Brahmin priestess: Karina Gauvin, soprano
NOURABAD, a Brahmin priest: Alexandre Sylvestre, bass

CONDUCTOR: Frédéric Chaslin
Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal
Chœur de l’Opéra de Montréal

SYNOPSIS
ACT 1 - A group of Pearl Fishers celebrate the election of their new leader, Zurga. As they rejoice, Zurga's friend, Nadir returns from a long voyage. Happy to see each other again, the two friends remember their past. Their friendship had been put to the test long ago by rivalry: Nadir and Zurga had fallen in love with the same woman - the beautiful Leïla - but swore never to see her again. The men once more vow to remain loyal friends.

The high priest Nourabad arrives accompanied by a new priestess whose prayers must protect the fishermen. Zurga makes the priestess take a vow of anonymity and solitude, warning her that if she fails to keep her promises, the punishment will be death. Nadir sees a resemblance between the priestess and the woman he once loved. As she makes her way up onto the rocks to begin her vigil, her veil parts and Nadir recognizes his beloved Leïla.

Act 2 - When Nourabad reminds Leïla to remain true to her vows, she tells him that she has never gone back on her word. The necklace she now wears bears witness to this: a fugitive for whom she risked her life by refusing to reveal his hiding place gave it to her. Left alone, Leïla hears Nadir singing a serenade She begs him to leave, but their love is too strong to keep them apart, and they promise to see each other again. Nourabad surprises them and alerts the priests who quickly apprehend Nadir. In order to save his friend from death, Zurga instead suggests that he be exiled. But he then also recognizes Leïla and, realizing that Nadir has lied to him, orders the lovers' execution.

Act 3 - Scene 1 - Zurga despairs that Nadir and Leïla must die. However, he becomes enraged when Leïla pleads for Nadir's life. As she is being led away, Leïla gives her necklace to one of the fishermen so that he may return it to her mother. Recognizing the necklace, Zurga takes it from the fisherman.

Act 3 - Scene 2 - The villagers have prepared a pyre for the guilty lovers. As the fateful moment arrives, Zurga rushes onto the scene, announcing that the village is on fire. When the crowd hurries off in disarray, Zurga reveals to Leïla and Nadir that it was he who set the fire. Leïla's necklace once belonged to him, for he was the fugitive whom she had saved from death. Now it is his turn to save her. Nadir and Leïla flee. But Nourabad has overheard everything, and Zurga must face his wrath.

Courtesy Opéra de Montréal (author Pascal Blanchet, translated by John Trivisonno)