On Wednesday evening I went to the Met Opera to hear one of the most anticipated performances of the season, the new production of Les pêcheurs de perles, a long overlooked work by the composer Georges Bizet. This season marked the first occasion on which the opera had been staged at the Met since Caruso had sung the role of Nadir in 1916.
While Bizet is today known to the public for only one opera - his hugely popular Carmen - he was actually far more prolific than his lack of credits might suggest. His talent was recognized early on by the French musical establishment. He was a student of Fromental Halévy (who later became his father-in-law), a protege of Gounod, and winner of the prestigious Prix de Rome. More than other composers, however, Bizet was the victim of bad luck throughout his short lifetime. Many of his projects had to be abandoned when it became evident that they would not be produced. In that era Paris's two major venues, the Opéra and the Opéra-Comique, were not receptive to new works and the composer was instead forced to rely on the Théâtre Lyrique, then managed by Léon Carvalho. It was there that Les pêcheurs premiered in 1863. This company had problems of its own though. The initial run of La jolie fille de Perth. the opera best received during Bizet's lifetime, was cut short after eighteen performances in 1866 due to the financial difficulties Carvalho was then experiencing. Carvalho finally went bankrupt in 1868 and as a result was forced from his position at the theater. This failure aborted the production of Halévy's Noé, a work Bizet had completed as a tribute to the late composer.
Bizet had originally intended to make his operatic debut at the Opéra-Comique, whose contract with the French government required it to stage works by winners of the Prix de Rome, with a one-act piece entitled La guzla de l'Emir. At the same time, in order to retain its own grant, the Théâtre Lyrique was also required to put on a work by a winner of that same prize so long as it was that composer's first commercial production. Bizet quickly withdrew La guzla and went forward with Les pêcheurs. The libretto Carvalho provided to Bizet, though, was of the poorest quality imaginable. Written by Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré, it was described by The New York Times critic Donal Henahan in 1986 as ranking "right down there with the most appallingly inept of its kind." The text's characters were one-dimensional, the plot filled with improbable coincidences, and the ending weak. In spite of this, Bizet came up with music that was thoroughly enjoyable and filled with beautiful arias, most notably the duet Au fond du temple saint. The opera proved to be a success with audiences but not with critics. Discerning in the music the influence of Wagner, they were almost uniformly hostile. The exception, perhaps for that very reason, was Berlioz.
Following Bizet's death and the opera's revival in the 1880's, revised editions of the work were published and the ending altered to create a greater sense of drama. A trio composed by Benjamin Godard was added to the final scene. Until fairly recently, this revision became standard in what few productions were staged. The version used at the Met on Wednesday evening, however, did its best to honor Bizet's original intentions and instead followed the critical edition published by Edition Peters in 2002.
The current production of Les pêcheurs has turned out to be an unexpected hit for the Met this season. At least part of this is due to its strong casting. I've been an admirer of soprano Diana Damrau since I first saw her two seasons ago in Bellini's La sonnambula. As Leïla, she gave a polished performance that set off nicely those of the two male leads. Nadir was sung by tenor Matthew Polenzani and Zunga by baritone Mariusz Kwiecien. Conductor Gianandrea Noseda did a workmanlike job on the podium.
I was especially pleased by the work of director Penny Woolcock. This was one Met production that came alive. It was highly pleasing to look at and served as a fitting vehicle for Bizet's unjustly ignored music. While this opera may not be on the same level as Carmen, it is still a wonderfully exciting piece that well deserves a permanent place in the repertory. The current production is an excellent step in that direction.
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