Fishers' Fable
Nashville Opera promises another strong production with The Pearl Fishers
by Marcel Smith
The Pearl Fishers
Presented by Nashville Opera
8 p.m. April 5, 2 p.m. April 7 and 7 p.m. April 9 at TPAC's Polk Theater
Call Ticketmaster at 255-9600 for ticket information
In a sense, all stories are fables—somebody's version of some human event. But some stories call themselves fact-based ("based on the life of an afflicted mathematical genius"), while others present themselves as "mere" fables ("any resemblance to persons living or dead is purely coincidental").
An opera always presents itself as fable: People do not sing their conversations. But even operas can appear grittily realistic—Carmen, say, or Regina. Other times, they seem unabashedly not. So far this season, the Nashville Opera Association has presented two decidedly unrealistic tales: the splendid and disturbingly fabulous Turandot, and Hansel and Gretel, sophisticated social criticism masquerading as kiddie lit.
Now NOA offers another such tale, Georges Bizet's The Pearl Fishers. John Hoomes and Carol Penterman have been advertising the event with the slogan "Carmen gets island fever!"—hoping to hitch a ride on the more famous gypsy gal's ruffled skirt. That makes promotional sense. But the two operas, though each is quite fine, are very different in character and effect.
Carmen is about a prideful vixen who aggressively dares a man to show what he's got. The Pearl Fishers is a lyrically exotic fable, closer to Frank Capra than to Martin Scorsese, about love and friendship and magnanimity. In this fable, as in Carmen, a beautiful woman is the axis, though Leïla is as warm and gentle as Carmen is fierce and aggressive. And in this fable, gratitude and self-sacrifice carry the day.
Carmen might come out of the National Enquirer. The Pearl Fishers might begin with "Once upon a time." It is set on an island where fishermen make their living on an always perilous sea. On that island, two men, best friends since boyhood, fall for the same woman. Moreover, the beloved is a kind of vestal virgin whose duty is to pray for the safety of the fishers at sea. The island's religious leader is a high priest who can and will kill the virgin if she tries to quit her job.
In some ways this Bizet music bespeaks South Pacific more than Carmen. The French libretto is in rhymed stanzas full of liquid lyricism possible only in a language that seems to have no consonants. The musical settings exploit those qualities; both libretto and music tread perilously close to smarm, but never step over the edge. All the principals are given thrilling stuff to sing. There is wonderful, passionate musical dialogue between Leïla and Nadir, the tenor she chooses over the baritone Zurga. But arguably the finest musical moment is a tenor/baritone duet sung by these friends, the melodic theme of which recurs throughout.
Penterman and Hoomes have assembled a characteristically fine company. Diane Alexander as Leïla has a warm and supple voice in a lovely feminine body. She is an accomplished and charismatic actress, and it's easy to believe these men would lose their sanity over her. Richard Drews as Nadir is an intense vocal and physical presence, and the chemistry between him and Alexander is strong. Both Victor Benedetti as the frustrated friend and Jay Baylon as the self-righteous high priest add vocal and dramatic clout to the production. The Nashville Symphony will be conducted by Mark Flint of L'Opéra de Montreal, a wittily efficient and capable man.
Rehearsals promise a delightful outing—not as intense as Turandot, not as slapsticky as parts of Hansel and Gretel, but altogether lovely and uplifting. This production should add another solid file to NOA's distinguished and versatile portfolio.
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