Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Exotic locales have fired the imaginations of many artists, even when they end up finding something as universal as a love triangle. Georges Bizet was a struggling 24-year-old composer in Paris, when he wrote his opera "The Pearl Fishers," set in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. He would attain operatic immortality a dozen years later with "Carmen." "The Pearl Fishers" had a respectable 18-performance run at its premiere in 1863, but only periodic revivals until recently. Most of the initial critical reception of the new work was negative, with one notable exception. Composer Hector Berlioz recognized Bizet's remarkable musical gifts and predicted a bright future for him.
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Bizet's exotic opera 'The Pearl Fishers' gets colorful staging
Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: Exotic locales have fired the imaginations of many artists, even when they end up finding something as universal as a love triangle. Georges Bizet was a struggling 24-year-old composer in Paris, when he wrote his opera "The Pearl Fishers," set in Ceylon, now Sri Lanka. He would attain operatic immortality a dozen years later with "Carmen." "The Pearl Fishers" had a respectable 18-performance run at its premiere in 1863, but only periodic revivals until recently. Most of the initial critical reception of the new work was negative, with one notable exception. Composer Hector Berlioz recognized Bizet's remarkable musical gifts and predicted a bright future for him.
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I find it interesting that this opera was not always the best received. I am curious to see how it does here in Pittsburgh. Especially since it has such a strong creative team, with people like Zandra Rhodes to really give it meat. Looking at some of the production photos and at some of Rhodes' previous work, I have to say that I have never really seen pieces so vibrant and fun. At least not when it comes to opera. I like the background a lot I hope that is a drop of some sort. I also am intrigued by this show since, Bizet was the mastermind behind 'Carmen', which is one of my favorites. Hopefully before it closes I'll be able to make it down there to see it.
I've noticed that many opera reviews focus heavily on plot summary. Articles that review theatre focus more broadly on all the aspects of the production visible to the audience - acting, direction, and design. I think its a tad ironic that articles reviewing opera, a performance genre that focuses much less on plot than theatre and much more on music, are focusing so much on summarizing and so little on the actual music. Did this review even mention the singers? Am I reading too much into this, or is there some substance to what I'm saying?
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