About the Production
On the coast of Ceylon, the pearl fishermen elect Zurga as their new leader.
The temple priestess Leila is supposed to banish the water spirits with her singing and protect the fishermen without ever lifting her veil. The return of Zurga's childhood friend Nadir throws events out of balance. The two friends had once sworn to renounce a girl they both loved in order to preserve their friendship. After Leila turns out to be this very girl, Nadir breaks his vow, just as Leila breaks hers, by lifting the veil. Zurga, who not only realizes that Leila once saved his life, but can now also admit his selfishness and jealousy, prevents the execution that the pearl fishers demand for the double breach of oath.
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 Les Pêcheurs de perles 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.
