By Robert Croan
If you were to ask most people whether they know The Pearl Fishers (Les Pêcheurs de perles, in its original French), the answer would likely be no. Georges Bizet’s youthful work, composed 15 years before Carmen, has little name recognition outside opera circles, and even there, it’s something of a rarity.
Many who attended Florida Grand Opera’s colorful production (seen Thursday at the Broward Center) went with relatively low expectations. They were in for a pleasant surprise. It was a very good show.
Most of us do know the music of The Pearl Fishers — or at least some of it — even if we may not identify it as such. The Act 1 friendship duet for tenor and baritone is one of the most familiar extracts from opera. It entered pop culture in the early days of the phonograph (with tenor Enrico Caruso) and has been recorded many times since, up to a recent video version with Andrea Bocelli and Bryn Terfel. Peter Weir used it in his 1981 film, Gallipoli, to underscore the bonding between two doomed soldiers.
The familiar version of this duet is actually a doctored-up arrangement in which the beautiful tune returns at the end. (That tune also recurs as a friendship motive several times later in the opera. Bizet knew a good thing when he had it.) In the original, following a transition, the duet proceeds to a trite fast conclusion. It’s a case in which the inauthentic version is actually better than the historically correct one. Happily, Florida Grand Opera opted for the familiar arrangement.
The tenor’s solo aria, Je crois entendre encore, with its lilting barcarole rhythm, is only slightly less recognizable. But those hit numbers are not all. This entire short opera (running time including two intermissions is barely two-and-one-half hours) is filled with gorgeous melodies that stick in the memory after the opera is over. The heroine, Leila, has a lovely aria at the start of Act 2 that foreshadows Micaela’s solo turn in Carmen. She joins the tenor for a sweetly romantic duet following her aria, and the baritone in a dramatic confrontation in Act 3.
The opera’s liability is its inane libretto, set in ancient Ceylon (what is now Sri Lanka). Two close friends, Nadir and Zurga, had once fallen in love with the same young woman, but had sworn to give her up, believing that their friendship was more important. They meet years later, and renew that vow in the famous duet. When the veiled priestess in the local temple turns out to be that same woman, Leila, the men’s vow is quickly broken, with mostly predictable results.
The Pearl Fishers had 18 performances in its initial run in Paris’ Theatre Lyrique in 1863, and was not performed again in the composer’s lifetime. The Metropolitan Opera gave three performances with Caruso in 1916, then dropped it — until next season, when it will return to the repertory after nearly a full century. Intermittently, the opera has been performed in recent years, and has gained respect. The Met’s revival will include a showing on its Live in HD series Jan. 16.
Florida Grand Opera’s cast contained no great voices, but the protagonists were adequate and attractive, while the physical production, designed by J. Michael Wingfield and directed by A. Scott Parry, was eye-catching and compelling to follow. Tenor Philippe Talbot (Nadir) and baritone Corey McKern (Zurga) blended nicely in their big duet, early on.
Talbot’s sound was not large, a bit nasal in the French way, but he came though clearly with beautiful diction. The only francophone in the cast, he made much of Je crois entendre encore, interpolating a final line that went up to a soft, sustained high note while lying flat on his back. The baritone’s third-act aria is a less interesting piece, but McKern sang it expressively, and came into his own in the duet with Leila, the two sparking that scene with emotion.
Emily Birsan’s Leila was less gratifying. Her sound had an edge that carried well, but lacked variety of color or nuance, particularly detrimental to the aria, Comme autre fois. Her negotiation of the coloratura in her Act 1 prayer was effortful and not entirely on the mark. She made her best impression in the full-throated exhortations of the final scenes. As the high priest Nourabad, Burak Bilgili had less to sing, but evinced a striking stage presence along with a commanding bass sound.
The orchestra playing under Anthony Barrese was uneven. The opera’s brief prelude was tentative rather than atmospheric, and many moments throughout the opera were imprecise in ensemble. The chorus work, prepared by Brett Karlin, was excellent, while the dancers made up in enthusiasm for some awkwardness in their movements.
The Pearl Fishers will be performed again at 7:30 pm Saturday at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts in Fort Lauderdale. Call 800-741-1010 for tickets or visit www.fgo.org.