the Pearl Fishers - New Orleans Opera

New Orleans
Opera Association
Robert Lyall, General &
Artistic Director
1010 Common Street • Suite 1820
New Orleans, LA 70112
(504) 529-2278 • FAX 529-7668
1-800-881-4459
www.neworleansopera.org
The Plácido Domingo Stage
at The Mahalia Jackson Theater
for the Performing Arts
Student Preview Performances
and Student Study Guides
Sponsored by
Joe W. and
Dorothy Dorsett
Brown Foundation
Bizet's
the Pearl
Fishers
(Les Pêcheurs de Perles)
PERFORMANCE
 STUDENT
WEDNESDAY, 26, 2011 • 7:00 PM
FRIDAY, JANUARY 28, 2011  8:00 PM
SUNDAY, JANUARY 30, 2011  2:30 PM
 In French with English supertitles
Mahalia Jackson eater for the Performing Arts
This Student Study Guide is
Published by the New Orleans
Opera Association.
Carol Rausch, Education Director
Edited & Compiled by John Fink
Designed by Arlene D. Brayard
e Gershwins®
Porgyand Bess℠
Mozart's
Verdi's
the Magic Flute
Il Trovatore
October 15 & 17, 2010
November 19 & 21, 2010
April 1 & 3, 2011
Student Performance
October 13, 2010 • 7:00 PM
Student Performance
November 17, 2010 • 7:00 PM
Student Performance
March 30, 2011 • 7:00 PM
Etiquette And Outfits
Additional Reminders
Minding your P’s & Q’s
• Please unwrap all cough drops and candies before
the curtain rises.
Every baseball fan knows what to do during the
seventh-inning stretch. Likewise, every opera fan
knows to honor certain longstanding traditions. Here
are a few to keep in mind:
Don’t be Late!
Unlike a movie theater, New Orleans Opera does not
allow latecomers to take their seats after the
performance has begun. (Those who miss the curtain
can still take in the show—live—on television monitors
in the lobby. Latecomers will be able to take their
seats at a suitable interval—usually intermission.)
When cued to go back into the hall at the end of
intermission, please do not delay. Contracts require us
to adhere to a strict performance time and a late entry
will disturb your fellow patrons, cast and orchestra.
Be a Quiet Audience Member!
The talents of New Orleans’ Opera singers and
musicians are presented without amplification. There is
no Dolby™ Stereo in the Mahalia Jackson Theater, and
some of the most dramatic moments in opera are the
quietest. Please don’t create noisy disruptions such as
talking, rustling programs, or fiddling with candy
wrappers.
Show Appreciation Appropriately!
Enthusiastic displays of appreciation are always
welcome after a well-executed aria. If you’re not
exactly sure when to react, just follow the crowd. Feel
free to shout “Bravo!”
What to Wear
Once patronized mainly by royalty, opera today is
enjoyed by people from all walks of life. In modern
day New Orleans, you’ll see opera-goers wearing
everything from ball gowns and tuxes to blue jeans
and button-downs. Feel free to dress up for a special
night out, dress down for comfort, or find your own
happy medium. When it comes to the opera, almost
anything but the most casual wear is considered
appropriate.
• Please use moderation in applying perfume, cologne,
or scented lotion; many people are highly allergic to
perfumes.
• Avoid hats that might obstruct the view of the person
seated behind you. Also please leave jewelry that may
make noise (for example: bangles) at home.
• Please, no babes in arms in the theater.
• Many operas contain adult themes. Before bringing
children, it is best to make sure that the material is
appropriate for their age or maturity level. Our box
office staff can help you make this determination.
• If bringing children, instruct them in proper
audience behavior. It is also helpful to familiarize
them with the story and the score so that they know
what to expect.
• Please turn off all beepers, cell phones, and watch
alarms before entering the theater.
• No food or drink is allowed in the theater seating
area, both to preserve the condition of the theater
and to spare other patrons the noise and distraction.
• The Overture is part of the performance. Please
refrain from talking at this point.
• Please also refrain from talking, humming, singing,
or beating time to the music during the
performance.
• Avoid kicking the back of the seat in front of you;
this is very annoying, even if it is done in time to the
music. Also, watch your children to prevent their
doing the same.
• We realize that traffic both in and out of the theater
can be congested following a performance; still, it is
distracting to other patrons to leave while the show
is still in progress. Thank you for your consideration.
(If you’d rather not sit in traffic, consider taking part
in the free pre-performance “Nuts and Bolts” session
one hour prior to the performance on floor M-2.)
New Orleans Opera Association
General and Artistic Director - Ext. 224
Robert Lyall
Executive Director – Ext. 223
Todd Simmons
Chorus Master, Music Administration &
Education Director – Ext. 222
Administrative Staff 504-529-2278
Director of Marketing & Public Relations –
Ext. 225
Janet Wilson
Business Manager – Ext. 227
Gina Klein
Box Office Manager – Ext. 226
Carol Rausch
John M. Fink
Director of Production – Ext. 231
Asst. Box Office Manager – Ext 221
Lee Marc Molnar
Devin Ernest
Director Of Development – Ext. 232
Jenny Windstrup
Technical Director – 504-833-0110
G. Alan Rusnak
Opera Guild Volunteer – Ext. 225
Dr. Carolyn Clawson
www.neworleansopera.org
new orleans opera association
presents
Bizet’s
the Pearl
Fishers
THE CAST
LEILA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lisette Oropesa
NADIR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . William Burden
ZURGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Liam Bonner

NOURABAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Kenneth Weber
Special thanks to New Orleans artist Tim Trapolin for
creating and donating the 2010-2011 season illustrations in
honor of Robert Lyall and Edward F. Martin.
Bizet’s
the
Pearl Fishers
(Les Pêcheurs de Perles)
Opera in 3 Acts
Set in Ceylon (sri Lanka)
PRODUCTION STAFF
Director . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Robert Lyall
Conductor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Robert Lyall
Chorus Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Carol Rausch
Director of Production . . . . . . . . . . .Lee Marc Molnar
Stage Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lisa Anderson
Asst. Stage Manager I . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Lindsay Byrne
Asst. Stage Manager II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kate Abreo
Music by Georges Bizet
Scenic Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .G. Alan Rusnak
Lighting Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Dan Zimmer
Libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michel Carŕe
The opera premiered at the
Asst. Lighting Designer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Neil Ingles
Costume Coordinator . . . . . . . . . . . . .Charlotte Lang
Théâtre Lyrique in Paris
Costumes by . . . . .Annibal Lapiz for Opera Carolina
September 30, 1863
Supertitles Operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Elizabeth Rota
Props . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jonathan Uhlman
In French with English supertitles
Wigs/Makeup . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Don and Linda Guillot
Accompanist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Janna Ernst
The Synopsis of
the Pearl Fishers
pray for them as they go to sea, protecting
them from storms and warding off evil spirits.
The veiled woman arrives, escorted by the high
priest, Nourabad. Zurga explains the duties
required of her. Her faithful obedience will be
rewarded, but if she breaks her vows, the
punishment is death. Noticing Nadir standing
nearby, the priestess promises to maintain her
purity.
Act I
A group of pearl fishers gathers along the
beach. They have selected Zurga as their king
and during their celebration, Nadir, a fisherman,
returns after a year’s absence. Zurga persuades
Nadir, his former friend, to remain in the village.
When they are alone, the two men recall the
event that drove them apart. They had once
fallen in love with the same woman, but in
order to keep their friendship, they swore not
to pursue her. They vow again never to let the
love of a woman destroy their friendship.
The fishermen return with news that a boat has
landed nearby. Zurga explains that an unknown
woman from another island has been chosen to
Nadir is struck by the resemblance of the
unknown priestess to Leïla, the woman he and
Zurga had sworn never to see. The priestess
ascends the rock overlooking the sea to begin
her vigil. As she prays, her veil is momentarily
lifted and, indeed, Nadir recognizes the priestess
as his beloved, Leïla.
Nadir knows that his oath to Zurga means
nothing in the face of his desire. Alone, he
confesses that he has long dreamt of Leïla and
has followed her
here. Leïla’s
incantation to the
Goddess Siva is
interrupted by
Nadir’s voice, and
her hymn is
transformed into a
declaration of love.
Act II
At the ancient temple, Nourabad reminds Leïla
that if she remains true to her oaths, she need
not fear for her safety. Leïla recounts an
instance when she remained faithful in the face
of death. As a girl, she once offered sanctuary
to a fugitive, and although her life was
threatened, she refused to divulge his hiding
place. He rewarded her with the pearl necklace
that she wears.
After the priest leaves, Leïla is unable to sleep
knowing that Nadir is near. When he
approaches, she warns him that if they are seen
together, they will be punished with death. But
his passion overwhelms her, and the two rejoice
in each other.
Promising to return for her, Nadir slips away.
Shouts are heard. The angry villagers and priests
apprehend Nadir and prepare to sacrifice both
him and the woman who was with him. They do
not recognize Leïla, who is veiled. Zurga stops
the men, asserting that as the leader it is he
who decides who can be punished and when. In
his new authority as King, he orders that their
lives be spared, and he whispers to them to
leave at once. But Nourabad rips off Leïla’s veil
and Zurga is instantly furious. Nadir and he have
promised to forego their love for this woman;
Nadir has betrayed him. Zurga condemns them
both to death. As they are led away, both
captors and captives pray for the aid of Brahma.
Act III
Zurga regrets what he has done. Nadir has been
his friend all his life, and he has now
condemned him to death for loving the woman
he himself so desperately loves. Though Nadir
broke a vow to him, Zurga wants to be the
nobler man. Leïla comes to him, begging for
him to save Nadir. She claims that she sought
out Nadir, not the other way around. When
Zurga realizes how much she loves Nadir, his
jealousy is inflamed.
Nourabad arrives to take Leïla away. As she is
led away, Leïla gives her necklace to one of the
villagers, asking him to take it to her mother
when she is dead. Zurga spots the necklace and
snatches it from the man.
Just before dawn, the villagers prepare a pyre
for Leïla and Nadir and wait for sunrise. As the
villagers are singing and dancing in bloodthirsty
anticipation, Nadir prays that he may save Leïla.
She is led in by Nourabad and some fakirs. Leïla
and Nadir prepare for death as a red glow
appears in the distance. Leïla prepares to step
into the flames. Zurga suddenly appears, crying
out that the village is on fire. As the villagers
run out in confusion, Zurga tells Nadir and Leïla
that he set the fire so that he could free them.
He had recognized Leïla’s necklace, for he was
the fugitive whom Leïla had saved long ago.
Zurga’s rage has passed, and he knows that he
could never live with himself if he allowed the
woman he loves and the friend of his youth to
die. The lovers escape and Zurga listens to them
sing of their happiness as they depart. Nourabad
immediately directs his guards to sieze Zurga,
who must die in their place.
The Composer
Georges
(Alexandre César Léopold)
Bizet
1838 – 1875
Like Rossini, Alexandre
César Léopold (baptized
Georges) Bizet was born
to musician parents in
Paris on October 25, 1838.
His father was a singing
teacher, and his mother a
gifted pianist. In this artistic family, Georges
flourished and displayed musical talent at a very
early age. Considered a child prodigy, Georges
entered the Paris Conservatory of Music at the age of
9 despite rules that normally did not allow
admittance at such a young age. There he studied
counterpoint with Charles Gounod and composition
with Jacques Halévy while composing many small
songs, piano pieces and orchestral works. Most
notable of these early compositions was his
Symphony in C (modeled closely on Gounod’s
Symphony No. 1, in D, which he completed in 1855.
In 1857 at the age of 19, after winning several prizes
at the Conservatory, he won the Grand Prix de Rome
and began a happy (and financially secure) three
year stay in Rome.
When the Franco-Prussian war broke out in 1870,
Bizet, although exempt from national service as a
Prix de Rome winner, nevertheless enlisted in the
National Guard. Although many of his countrymen
and fellow musicians were highly nationalistic in
their approach to the war, Bizet was far more downto-earth in his understanding of the horrors of
battle. Again, we see realism in his outlook on life
that also manifested itself in his operatic storytelling.
In 1860, Georges returned to Paris and lived in or
near the French capital for the rest of his life. He
refused all offers of teaching and a career as a
concert pianist. Instead, he dedicated himself to
composition. Shortly after his return to Paris,
Georges’ mother died. Georges consoled himself with
his parents’ maid, with whom he had a son in 1862.
The Opéra-Comique was rehearsing his one-act opera
La Guzla de l’Emir, which was eventually withdrawn,
when the Théâtre-Lyrique director invited Bizet to
compose Les Pêcheurs de pêrles (The Pearl Fishers).
Bizet finished the opera in four months, and it was
produced in September 1863, but received an
indifferent reception. Although the plot was
somewhat static, none could deny Bizet’s brilliant
scoring, especially in the famous “friendship”duet,
“Au fond du temple saint”.
In 1865, when traveling by train from Paris to the
little village of Le Vesinet, Georges had a chance
meeting with a woman who may have been some of
the inspiration for Carmen. Celeste Venard
(nicknamed La Mogador) was quite a colorful
character, whose occupations included prostitute,
dance hall escort, writer, stage director and
equestrian, to name a few. Celeste had purchased a
home near Bizet’s, and, on that fateful train ride, the
two discovered they would be neighbors. At Bizet’s
suggestion, Celeste bought a piano and gave him the
key to her home so he could compose in peace. In
Celeste’s memoirs, she insists that the relationship
was purely platonic, and there is no evidence to
suggest otherwise. Celeste was now singing for her
living in a café and performed “Ay Chiquita” by a
composer named Sebastian Yradier. Apparently Bizet
liked Yradier’s music, and he borrowed a theme from
Yradier’s “El Arregilito” for the Habanera. Celeste
and Georges’ relationship ended fairly abruptly,
perhaps because of the displeasure of his future inlaws, the Halévys.
In 1869, Georges married Geneviève Halévy (the
daughter of Jacques Halévy). Their son, Jacques, was
born in 1872. The marriage did not bring much
happiness to Bizet. During this time, he continued to
compose and some of his works being met with
modest success, including his incidental music for
Alphonse Daudet’s play L’Arlésienne. The Bizets were
poor, and Georges had health problems and began
battling with depression. He also worked on a oneact opera, Djamileh, which was completed in 1872.
That opera met with little success, but Bizet was
finally convinced he had found his true operatic
path. Fortunately, Djamileh made a favorable
impression on Camille du Locle, the co-director of
the Opéra-Comique. He commissioned Bizet and
librettists Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy (his
wife’s cousin) to write Carmen.
The actual story of Carmen was taken from the 1846
Prosper Mérimée novel of the same name. In
Mérimée’s novel, Carmen is a rather brutal character
without warmth or depth, a gypsy with a commonlaw husband who Don José kills and eventually
replaces. The novel is told from Don José’s
perspective (he is the narrator) and the reader sees
Recordings of
The Pearl Fishers
his decline from honorable soldier to deserter,
smuggler, and murderer. Micaela and Escamillo are
rarely mentioned in the novel, but Bizet and his
librettists fleshed out their characters to balance
the overpowering Carmen and Don José. The
somewhat comical Dancaïre and Remendado are
classic Opéra-Comique characters.
Bizet and his librettists began work in 1873, though
problems began from the outset with outrage from
Adolph de Leuven, the Opéra-Comique’s other
director. The Opéra-Comique was a family theater
where patrons arranged marriages and business
was conducted and de Leuven felt it was an
inappropriate story, with its blatant sexuality and
frank depiction of gypsy life. Bizet’s librettists also
sided with de Leuven and felt that the material (as
originally written) was too strong and would
provoke public outrage. A battle followed with de
Leuven and the librettists on one side and Bizet, du
Locle and the principal singers, Paul Lherie (Don
José) and Celestine Galli-Marie (Carmen), on the
other. Du Locle, being a practical man, did want the
ending changed to accommodate the family
atmosphere. Lherie and Galli-Marie threatened to
quit, so du Locle backed down. Bizet, unhappy with
the librettists’ version of the Habanera, rewrote the
lyrics thirteen times before he was satisfied.
The original version (with spoken dialogue)
premiered on March 3, 1875 and met with a
lukewarm response from the audience. Though not
a failure (it ran for 45 more performances), Bizet
felt that no one understood his work. Other
musicians, however, recognized and praised Bizet’s
brilliance - from Saint-Sa ns, Tchaikovsky, Richard
Strauss, Brahms, Gounod, Debussy, Grieg, Puccini,
and Richard Wagner (‘At last. Someone with new
ideas.‘) Philosopher Frederick Nietzsche actually
found Bizet’s music “a perfect antidote to
Wagnerian neuroses”
Bizet died on June 3, 1875 three months after
Carmen’s premiere. Many have speculated that his
premature death was due to his despondence over
the perceived failure of Carmen. While this
depression certainly did not improve his already
failing health, Bizet had long suffered from throat
problems and the official medical cause of death
was a failed heart due to ‘acute articular
rheumatism’.
It is unfortunate that Bizet didn’t live long enough
to see Tchaikovsky’s prediction that Carmen would
become ‘the most popular opera in the repertory’
come true.
Bizet - Les Pêcheurs de Perles
(The Pearl Fishers)
Hendricks, Aler, Quilico
Orchestre et choers du Capitole de
Toulouse, Plasson
Bizet - Les Pêcheurs de Perles
(The Pearl Fishers)
Cotrubas, Vanzo, Sarabia, Soyer
Paris National Opera Orchestra - Prétre
Recordings Online
Links available on our Website’s Education Page
crois ententre
Paul Groves
Je
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-PXr_q3bek
Au fond du temple saint
Paul Groves and Dmitri Hvorostovsky
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9t1rrgwRLu4
Bizet's
the Pearl
Fishers
(Les Pêcheurs de Perles)
Featuring New Orleans Ballet Theater
Returning native son Gregory Schramel and wife Marjorie Hardwick, after
dancing as Principals and Soloists in Miami City Ballet, Cincinnati Ballet,
Atlanta Ballet and Dallas Ballet, established the
New Orleans Ballet Theatre (NOBT) in
December of 2002. Their
company offers audiences a
unique dance experience
steeped in the
contemporary traditions
honed by such dance
luminaries as George
Balanchine, Maurice
Bejart and Twyla
Tharp. New Orleans
Opera welcomes to
the stage the
contribution of their
unique style.
photo credit: David J. L'Hoste
MetroPelican Opera
Hansel and Gretel
Opera A La Carte
A Celebration in Song
MetroPelican Opera in-school performances can be booked
through Young Audiences by calling (504) 523-3525.
For more information on scheduling please contact the
New Orleans Opera Director of Education at 529-2278,
ext.222 or email crausch@neworleansopera.org.
New Orleans Opera Association
Robert Lyall, General & Artistic Director
(504) 529-2278 • FAX 529-7668 • 1-800-881-4459 • www.neworleansopera.org