Bizet: The Pearl Fishers (Highlights) Opera in English Opera In English

Select your download format

16Bit-FLAC/ALAC

GEORGES BIZET

(1838-1875)

highlights from

The Pearl Fishers

79:00

Opera in Three Acts

Libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré

English translation by David Parry

from Act I

Prelude

1:54

No. 1a, Introductioin

'At the break of day with the waves at play'

3:32

Chorus

No. 1b, Scene and Chorus

'My friends, yoiu must delay your dances'

4:03

Zurga, Chorus, Nadir

No. 1 c, Recitative and Chorus reprise

'Stay here and live with us, Nadir'

2:14

Zurga, Nadir, Chorus

No. 2a, Recitative

'At last I have found you again!'

2:37

Zurga, Nadir

No. 2b, Duet

'Then from the holy shrine'

7:11

Nadir, Zurga

No. 4a, Recitative

'Hearing her voice my soul is a cauldron of passion!'

1:24

Nadir

No. 4b, Romance

'Again her voice will haunt me'

3:11

No. 5, Air and Chorus

'Brahma the god, sovereign of the world'

5:31

Leïla, Chorus, Nadir

from Act II

No. 7, Recitative and Cavatina

10.

'I am alone here in the night'

6:50

Leïla

No. 8, Chanson

11.

'My love was weeping while she was sleeping'

1:53

No. 9, Duo

12.

'Leïla! Leïla!'

6:49

Nadir, Leïla

from Act III

No. 11, Entr'acte, Recitative and Air

13.

'The storm has run its course'

6:22

Zurga

No. 12a, Recitative

14.

'(She is here! My heart… is pounding…)'

1:07

Zurga, Leïla

No. 12b, Duo

15.

'(I would speak, but I cannot)'

10:03

Leïla, Zurga, Chorus

No. 14, Scene and Duo

16.

'Spirits of dreaful night'

4:46

Nourabad, Chorus, Nadir, Leïla

Bonus tracks

No. 15, Trio (posthumous ending)

17.

'Sacred light of being'

4:03

Leïla, Nadir, Zurga

No. 2b, Duet (posthumous ending)

18.

'Then from the holy shrine'

5:19

Nadir, Zurga

Solo: Rebecca Evans soprano - Leïla

Choral: Geoffrey Mitchell Choir

Orchestra: London Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor: Brad Cohen

10-12 September 2007

Keenlyside, as so often happens in his recordings, is the star here. This is, I believe, his debut in Chandos’ Opera in English series, and worth the long wait. In terrific voice, he projects immediate strength and appeal the moment he begins to sing.

International Record Review

Keenlyside is authoritative as the tormented Zurga and Banks is wonderfully passionate as his rival in love

Classic FM Magazine

It was Rebecca Evans’s Gretel, who took the honours. Spinning out radiant lines of delicious purity, she made it hard to see how the role could be sung better

The Times

Barry Banks contrasts well with Simon Keenlyside’s tempestuous, heart-torn Zurga: their fraught friendship totally convinces. Alastair Miles exudes the magisterial utterance one wants in a Brahmin priest. Cohen and the London Philharmonic lead us into a sound-picture that reveals depth upon depth of ear-catching scene-painting. At 79 minutes this disc gives you the pearl in Bizet’s oyster.

Opera

Barry Banks and Simon Keenlyside, singing the aria in English as ‘then from the holy shrine’, do Bizet proud. The voices meld through the big tune, producing a hearfelt hymn to friendship. And Brad Choen conducting the London Philharmonic Orchestra, almost makes you believe it’s the first time you’ve heard the celebrated melody for harp and flute solo that introduce the duet. This is an opera crammed with delectable tunes and duets…

BBC Music Magazine

The star however is Rebecca Evan’s Leila, exquisitely beautiful of tone, immaculate technically and getting a lot of the words across. This deserves to fly off the shelves and out of the shopping websites

The Sunday Times

My Wish List