Les pêcheurs de perles ("The Pearl Fishers") is a French-language opera in three acts by Georges Bizet, set to a libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré. Set in ancient times in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), it tells the story of two fishermen, Nadir and Zurga, whose vow of eternal friendship is nearly torn apart by their love for the same woman, a priestess named Leila, who is facing her own conflict between her love for Nadir and her sacred oath as a priestess.
It premiered at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris in 1863, where is was met with a warm public reception but a hostile press reaction. Even then, other composers such as Hector Berlioz managed to see great potential in the music, and while the opera was never revived in Bizet's lifetime, it has been revived fairly frequently, especially in the 20th and 21st centuries to a much warmer critical reception.
The opera is most famous for its tenor-baritone duet, "Au fond de temple saint" ("At the back of the holy temple"), also known as the Friendship Duet.
The opera contains examples of:
- Badass Preacher: Nourabad, the high priest, certainly counts.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Zurga lets Nadir and Leila escape after he recognizes Leila as his saviour from their childhood days.
- Berserk Button: Finding out that Nadir got together with Leila, the woman he loves, sends Zurga into a rage strong enough to make him sentence the both of them to death.
- Best Friend: Nadir and Zurga are best friends, and their famous duet is dedicated to their friendship.
- Bittersweet Ending: Zurga sacrifices himself by setting fire to the village in order to free Nadir and Leila, knowing that he will die. The opera ends with Zurga waiting for the villagers to get him as Nadir and Leila escape.
- Bros Before Hoes: “Au fond de temple saint” is all about Nadir and Zurga remembering how they’ve promised to renounce their love for the same woman and remain true to each other. Subverted when it reappears at the end of the opera, but as a trio with Leila and Nadir singing of their love, while Zurga sacrifices himself to let them flee to safety.
- BSoD Song: “L’orage est calmé”, Zurga’s aria, has him expressing his remorse for sentencing his best friend to death.
- Burn the Witch!: Nadir and Leila are sentenced to be burned on a pyre at dawn.
- Contrived Coincidence: This opera has a lot of them. For example, Leila just happens to be the same girl who saved Zurga’s life when they were kids. Even more, Zurga recognises this because he happens to see her necklace.
- Costume Porn: The opera is set in ancient Ceylon (modern day Sri Lanka), so many traditional productions will have some
◊ lovely◊ South Asian◊ costumes◊, especially for Leila◊. - Crazy Jealous Guy: When Zurga finds out that Nadir and Leila have gotten together after they’ve been brought to him by the other villagers, he becomes furious and sentences them to death. And in Act III, when Leila comes to Zurga to plead for Nadir's life, Zurga even has an aria, "Je suis jaloux", where he describes this and refuses mercy.
- Dark Reprise: The reappearance of “Au fond de temple saint” at the end of the opera is more tragic than dark.
- Dying Alone: Zurga is killed by the fishermen as Nadir and Leila escape.
- Empathic Environment: At the end of Act II, just as Zurga sentences Nadir and Leila to death, a violent storm breaks out and ravages the village. When Act III opens up, the storm has passed, and so has Zurga’s rage. Now, in the aftermath of the storm, all he feels is regret and remorse.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Notably averted. Zurga, a baritone role, is Nadir’s best friend, and while he does have his cruel moment in Act II, he is overall a good man. Nourabad, a bass role, isn't exactly evil, but he is a strict enforcer of rules.
- Forbidden Fruit: Because Leila is a priestess, she cannot pursue a romance with anyone. However, she’s actually been in a secret romance with Nadir for a while now.
- Foreshadowing: Nadir’s aria “Je crois entendre encore” has him remembering how he’d broken his vow with Zurga and pursued his love for the mysterious veiled woman in Kandy, the woman who almost tore their friendship apart. Said woman turns out to be Leila, the virgin priestess whose prayers are required to ensure the safety of the fishermen, and whom both Nadir and Zurga are in love with.
- Friendship Song: “Au fond de temple saint”.
- Giant Wall of Watery Doom: The Met’s 2016 production uses a projected tsunami at the end of Act II to devastate the village instead of a simple storm.
- Gorgeous Period Dress: Again, since it’s ancient Sri Lanka, expect many traditional productions to have some gorgeous◊ costumes.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: Nadir and Zurga, hands down. Their duet even makes you wonder if Nadir is actually in love with Zurga and not Leila.
- High Priest: Nourabad is the high priest of Brahma.
- Hindu Mythology: Leila and Nourabad are priestess and priest of the Hindu god Brahma.
- The Ingenue: Leila is a sweet, loving priestess.
- I Owe You My Life: Zurga felt so indebted to Leila after she hid him from his enemies at the risk of her own life that he willingly sacrifices himself to let her and Nadir escape.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Zurga lets both Nadir and Leila go because he loves them both and wants them to be happy.
- Long Hair Is Feminine: Leila is often shown having long hair.
- Love at First Sight: Nadir and Zurga had both fallen immediately for Leila when they first saw her.
- Love Triangle: Nadir/Leila/Zurga.
- Makes Us Even: Zurga rescuing Nadir and Leila has shades of this.
- Memento MacGuffin: Before her execution, Leila removes her necklace and gives it to a villager to give to her mother. This necklace is what Zurga gave Leila as a token of thanks after she saved his life when they were children.
- Mood Whiplash: The love duet between Nadir and Leila in Act II is interrupted by the fishermen, which makes the opera become much more serious.
- My God, What Have I Done?: Act III opens up with Zurga expressing his regrets of sentencing his best friend to death.
- Platonic Declaration of Love: “Au fond de temple saint” has shades of this, with Nadir and Zurga promising to never let the mysterious veiled woman get in the way of their friendship.
- Plot-Mandated Friendship Failure: Zurga’s discovery of Nadir and Leila results in him sentencing the both of them, basically his best friend and his beloved, to death.
- The Power of Friendship: This is what motivates Zurga to save Nadir and Leila.
- Public Domain Soundtrack: “Au fond de temple saint” is the most recognized duet from this opera.
- The Reveal: Towards the end of Act II, when Nadir and a veiled Leila are brought before Zurga, who is prepared to pardon them, Nourabad removes Leila’s veil, thus exposing her identity.
- Setting Update: Penny Woolcock’s production for the Met Opera updates the setting from ancient Ceylon to a fishing village in modern day South Asia.
- A Storm Is Coming: In Act II, as a storm approaches, Nadir and Leila are declaring their love for one another, and at the same time, the high priest Nourabad discovers them. At the end of the act, the storm breaks out after Zurga sentences Nadir and Leila to death in his rage.
- Tenor Boy: Nadir.
- Tragic Bromance: Zurga’s death at the end definitely marks his friendship with Nadir as this.
- Under the Sea: The 2016 production at the Met Opera has dancers suspended in the air doing an aquatic ballet to give the impression of diving for pearls during the overture.
- Vow of Celibacy: As a priestess, Leila is forbidden from engaging in a relationship, since the village depends on her prayers to ensure their safety. However, it’s highly implied that she’s lost her virginity to Nadir, and a violent storm ends up happening at the end of Act II.
