LES PÊCHEURS DE PERLES

About the show

Set in Ceylon, the opera tells the story of a friendship between Zurga, the king of pearl fishers, and Nadir, a pearl hunter. Their peace is disrupted by the arrival of a priestess of Brahma, whose task is to ward off evil spirits by singing atop a high mountain every night. The young woman is draped in a veil that conceals her identity, yet Nadir recognises her to be Leila, a beauty he and Zurga saw a long time ago in a temple and fell frantically in love with. To save their friendship, however, the two pearl hunters pledged to renounce their feelings. Both Nadir and Leila break their vows: he confesses his feelings for the priestess and she removes her veil. Caught in flagrante by the priest, the pair is brought before Zurga. Initially, the king acquits them, but when he realises his friend broke his promise, he agrees for the lovers to be put to death. As Nadir and Leila prepare await the execution together, it transpires that the woman once saved Zurga's life. To repay his debt of gratitude, the king devises a plan to save the lovers from an angry mob demanding that they be punished. The events culminate in an unexpected and tragic finale. This production is directed by Ersan Mondtag, an interdisciplinary artist with unbridled imagination, who has staged a play in Poland before. Co-produced with the Wiener Staatsoper, this is his first opera to be showb in Warsaw.