To be transparent and honest, until last Saturday's Opening Night of Georges Bizet's classic The Pearl Fishers at Seattle Opera, I had never been to the opera. The frozen tundra of Duluth, Minnesota (where I was raised) may have had opera, but my people were too busy worrying about survival during Minnesota winters and summer mosquitoes for such cultural diversions.
Accordingly, the production of The Pearl Fishers I attended seemed like magical poetry set to music and performed by an amazingly competent company of musicians, singers and actors. It was a simple love story triangle with overtones of the wrathful gods making sure that the humans remain obeisant to them (or, in reality, to the priests), but it was also a genuinely stunning presentation of that uncomplicated story. Here's the Seattle Opera's synopsis of the performance:
Escape to an island paradise for a steamy tale of romance and rivalry from the great Georges Bizet (Carmen). The easy-to-follow story depicts a love triangle between an alluring priestess with a mysterious past and a pair of brotherly fishermen. When honor, jealousy, and communal duty threaten the peace, a long-buried secret saves the day and love conquers all -- but at what price?
I was particularly struck by the sheer beauty of the singing, which was strangely enchanting given that it was not in English. And the staging and costumes were also magnificent, creating an overall sense of being swept away from Seattle's autumn rain and dreary skies to a land where the sun is always shining, unless the gods are unhappy.
All in all, The Pearl Fishers is a magnificent production designed to entertain and inspire opera aficionados and novices alike. It runs through October 31.