G. Bizet : Les Pêcheurs de Perles - Philharmonie de Paris

Programme Music by Gorges Bizet, Libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michel CarréCastOrchestre National de LilleVlaams RadiokoorJoshua Weilerstein, conductorManon Lamaison, LeïlaSahy Ratia, NadirÖnay Köse, ZurgaLouis Morvan, NourabadResting on a classic love triangle, the opera Les Pêcheurs de perles reveals the mastery of a composer then aged 26: long before Carmen, his strong personality, dramatic temperament and vivid imagination already work wonders.

In Les Pêcheurs de perles, two friends, Zurga and Nadir, see their oath of friendship broken by their love for the priestess Léïla: this male rivalry will have tragic consequences. Although criticised at the time, the work, premiered in 1863, already bears the stamp of its author.

The essentially lyrical nature of the musician, his ability to evoke places, landscapes and customs, go hand in hand with his skill in handling atmospheres, timbres and harmonies.

Berlioz rejoiced at ‘a considerable number of beautiful expressive pieces full of fire and a rich colouring’. Later, another of his admirers, Johannes Brahms, praised the quality of his orchestration.