Les pêcheurs de perles

Les pêcheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers) is an opera in three acts by the French composer Georges Bizet, to a libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré. It was first performed on 30 September 1863 at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris, and was given 18 performances in its initial run. Set in ancient times on the island of Ceylon, the opera tells the story of how two men's vow of eternal friendship is threatened by their love for the same woman, whose own dilemma is the conflict between secular love and her sacred oath as a priestess. The friendship duet "Au fond du temple saint", generally known as "The Pearl Fishers Duet", is one of the best-known numbers in Western opera.

At the time of the premiere, Bizet (born on 25 October, 1838) was not yet 25 years old: he had yet to establish himself in the Parisian musical world. The commission to write Les pêcheurs arose from his standing as a former winner of the prestigious Prix de Rome. Despite a good reception by the public, press reactions to the work were generally hostile and dismissive, although other composers, notably Hector Berlioz, found considerable merit in the music. The opera was not revived in Bizet's lifetime, but from 1886 onwards it was performed with some regularity in Europe and North America, and from the mid-20th century has entered the repertory of opera houses worldwide. Because the autograph score was lost, post-1886 productions were based on amended versions of the score that contained significant departures from the original. Since the 1970s, efforts have been made to reconstruct the score in accordance with Bizet's intentions.

Au fond du temple saint

"Au fond du temple saint" ("At the back of the holy temple") is a duet from Georges Bizet's 1863 opera Les pêcheurs de perles. The libretto was written by Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré. Generally known as "The Pearl Fishers' Duet", it is one of the best-known numbers in Western opera. It is sung by Nadir (tenor) and Zurga (baritone) in act 1.

Context

After a self-imposed absence, Nadir returns to the shores of Ceylon, where his friend Zurga has just been elected Fisher King by the local pearl fishermen. The two had once fallen in love with the same woman, but then vowed each other to renounce that love and remain true to each other. On meeting again, they sing this duet.

Later, the audience learns from a soliloquy by Nadir that he, despite his vows, had pursued the veiled woman and had returned only because of a rumour that she might be found there. By the end of act 1, Nadir and the woman, Leïla, have found each other and declared their passion. During act 2, their love is discovered by the fishermen who demand from Zurga that Nadir be executed. Only after Zurga recognises that the veiled woman is Leïla, he is overcome by jealousy and rage and orders both to be put to death. In act 3, Zurga realises that his love for Leïla is in vain and helps them flee from the funeral pyre by distracting the fishermen. After the loving couple have escaped, reprising the melody of this duet, the fishermen return and kill Zurga.