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THE INSIDER'S LOOK

The Facts
Composer: Georges Bizet
Librettist: Eugène Cormon and Michael Carré
Debut: Paris' Théâtre Lyrique on September 30, 1863

The Players
Zurga (baritone): fisherman and head of the village; Nadir's best friend
Nadir (tenor): hunter; Zurga's best friend; in love with Leïla
Leïla (soprano): Hindu priestess; in love with Nadir
Nourabad (bass): Hindu priest

Listen For…
One of the most famous tenor/baritone duets, Au fond du temple saint, in which the two men sing about falling in love with the same beautiful priestess and vowing not to let a woman hurt their friendship.

Other great selections include:
-Je crois entendre encore (Nadir)
-Cavatina, comme autrefois dans la nuit somber (Leïla)

Did You Know?
The opera was Bizet's second opera to be staged and was composed in a month.

A libretto had already been written and originally set the action in Mexico.

The show only ran for 18 performances during Bizet's lifetime. It was revived in 1886 and a number of inaccurate scores began circulating; an authentic score only recently surfaced in 1975.

Largely due to the corrupt scores, the ending of the opera has been a point of contention and caused misunderstandings as directors have added or changed the ending. Some alternatives included Zurga dying on the funeral pyre, Zurga being stabbed in the back by a villager, and Leïla and Nadir appearing on a rock singing a love duet.

Out of the thirty operas that Bizet composed, The Pearl Fishers is one of only six that survived to be performed after his death.

Multimedia Extras
Opera Talk! The Pearl Fishers
San Diego Opera Education Director Dr. Nicolas Reveles describes the beauty and enchantment of The Pearl Fishers. Courtesy of San Diego Opera.

Interview with Zandra Rhodes
The fashion designer discusses her inspiration for the tropical paradise of The Pearl Fishers. Courtesy of San Diego Opera.