Even his act of redemption is a desperate and violent act. Zurga’s weakness, his disgust in himself, generates violence against Leila in a truly frightening scene. His tormented performance escalated authentically from masculine insecurity to rage to remorse. John Moore, a certified barihunk, was a commanding Zurga, robustly gestural. Add the bass, Nourabad, and, since none of the men can control themselves, that’s the makings of a heck of a time.
He and our tenor, Nadir, have a frayed friendship Nadir has secretly broken their pact to abstain from the girl they both love that girl, Leila, is the chaste priestess chosen to protect the pearl divers. Our baritone, Zurga, is chosen to lead the pearl divers. Sinclair, though, gives us a touch more nuance. It’s your typical four-voiced cast, with the tenor and baritone battling it out for the soprano, while the bass portends pompously about. Despite some unnecessary chorus/supernumerary hustle and bustle, it was clearly staged, making the most of a flimsy plot. But the tales from the East influenced librettists Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré, as the colors, scents, sounds, and histories of faraway cultures exploded in the imagination of Europeans during the 1800s.Īndrew Sinclair, who co-created this work for San Diego Opera in 2004, directed a strong cast for this Kauffman Theatre performance. Of course, Bizet never traveled to South Asia and it is unlikely that his collaborators had, either, when the opera premiered in Paris in 1863. Set in Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka) in an unspecified time period, it is of a world straddling ancient traditions and modern influences, demonstrated here with the presence of what appeared to be muskets, which would have been introduced to the region sometime during the 16 th century. Lyric Opera of Kansas City presented Georges Bizet’s “The Pearl Fishers” (Les pêcheurs de perles) with passionate performances, athletic dancing and dazzling visual display in Saturday’s opening night performance.
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