About the Production
On the coast of Ceylon, Zurga is elected leader of the pearl fishermen. The veiled priestess Leila is to provide protection with her singing.
When Zurga's childhood friend Nadir returns, an old conflict flares up: Both once loved the same woman and swore to renounce her. Now they recognize that same lover in Leila. Nadir and Leila break their vows and are sentenced to death. At the decisive moment, Zurga intervenes: he remembers that Leila once saved his life, overcomes his jealousy and allows the lovers to escape.
Les Pêcheurs
de perles
Storyline
A community of pearl fishers gathers on the coast of Ceylon, whose work is accompanied by great dangers.
To protect themselves from the risks of the sea, they rely on ritual incantations and appoint both their leader and a priestess whose prayers will grant them protection. In this ceremony, Zurga is placed at the head of the community.
At this moment, Nadir also returns, a childhood friend of Zurga's from whom he had been separated for a long time. Their reunion is characterized by familiarity, but soon the memory of their shared past is awakened: both had once fallen in love with a veiled woman and vowed to renounce her for the sake of their friendship.
With the appearance of the priestess Leïla, this memory takes on an unexpected presence. While she remains an unapproachable, veiled figure for the community, Nadir recognizes her by her voice as the woman from back then - a recognition that initially goes unnoticed. Leïla also recognizes Nadir. Her rekindled feelings call both the former vow and Leïla's vows into question.
Leïla is guarded by the high priest Nourabad and the fakirs and reminded of her vow, which prescribes a life of seclusion and abstinence. To reinforce her steadfastness, she recounts an incident from her childhood: she once hid a persecuted man and did not betray him despite the threat of punishment; in return, she received a necklace from him, which she wears to this day.
When Leïla is alone, Nadir secretly appears at her house. A reunion develops between the two, in which memory and present longing intertwine. Leïla initially tries to send him away and remind him of her duty, but the attraction between them proves to be stronger. In the end, they confess their love for each other and give in to the feelings they can no longer deny.
However, their meeting does not go unnoticed. Nourabad alerts the fishermen and Leïla and Nadir are discovered. The community reacts with outrage to the breach of religious order. A storm arises, which is interpreted as a sign of divine wrath.
Zurga, who as leader has to decide the fate of the two, initially tries to be lenient. But when Leïla's veil falls and he recognizes her as the woman from their shared past, his attitude turns to jealousy. He confirms the death sentence.
Zurga is left alone with his decision. When Leïla is led to him, she does not ask for her own life, but for Nadir's.
On the way to the execution, she gives one of the fishermen her necklace and asks him to return it to her mother.
When Zurga holds the necklace in his hands, he recognizes it as the gift he himself had once given to the child who saved his life. At that moment, he realizes that Leïla is that very savior. The memory of this encounter fundamentally changes his view of events and thwarts the decision he had previously made.
While the fishermen gather for the execution, Zurga sets fire to the village. In the resulting unrest, the men leave the village to save their families. Zurga uses the resolution of the situation to help Leïla and Nadir escape.
He himself stays behind and faces the consequences of his actions.
Due to the loss of the score, the intentions of the 25-year-old Bizet to musically frame the remote setting can be guessed above all from the rhythm and harmony of the large choral scenes. The famous duet Au fond du temple saint , a renewal of the vow of fidelity between Nadir and Zurga, is at the center of the work, both thematically and musically.
As rarely as Die Perlenfischer was performed after its premiere on September 30, 1863, the ending of the third act was changed just as often. In almost every revival and new production in the course of the 19th century, different main characters had to die in new ways. In the meantime, it has become customary to play Bizet's original version again, of which, however, no score has survived, only the piano reduction, which is why reconstructions have to be used, especially in the orchestration.
