Discovering Opera: Bizet's The Pearl Fishers

Lafayette Senior Services presents Discovering Opera: Bizet's The Pearl Fishers
by Bradford Wade, Opera Lover for 35 years

Georges Bizet is justifiably famous for his Carmen, but he wrote several other operas as well. The “best of the rest” is The Pearl Fishers. It tells the story of two men who agree that neither will court the beautiful temple priestess, lest their friendship be destroyed. Of course one of them reneges. The opera’s orchestration and harmonies reflect the “exotic” setting in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), and the duet for tenor and baritone is one of the loveliest in all of opera. Lecturer Bradford Wade will discuss the background of the story and present a guided tour of the opera, with a description of the plot interspersed with musical examples. This lecture is given in conjunction with Opera San Jose's production of The Pearl Fishers, Sept. 8-23.

Lafayette Library, Arts & Science Room

$1 Members/$3 Non-Members