Customer Reviews

Bizet: The Pearl Fishers

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you don't know this opera, or only know the famous tenor/baritone duet, you are in for a treat. I bought this performance on a budget LP a long, long time ago because I liked Carmen, I vaguely knew that Nadir was one of Caruso's roles, and I had played a piano edition of the tenor Romance as a student. That was about it. I had never heard the duet or any of the choruses.

Well, I listened, fell in love, and wore out that LP. There is one unbelievably gorgeous tune after another in the first and second acts. This opera is very different from Carmen as it turns out; it's more like Lakme and those French Romantic pieces by people like Auber and Lalo.

The voices are lovely. Pierette Alarie and Leopold Simoneau, married in real life, had beautiful voices and great flair for the French style. Simoneau especially has a sweet tone and lyricism that are enchanting; the Romance is very special. Alarie's voice is a little fluttery but very pretty. Rene Bianco does a solid job with the baritone part and Xavier Depraz, a fine French bass, is the Snidely Whiplash villain.

Orchestra and chorus (which has a lot to do) are good, and conductor Fournet keeps things moving along idiomatically.

Even if the third act (which doesn't contain much great music and in which the story kind of falls apart) is a bit of a letdown, this opera is really enjoyable to listen to and this is the recording of choice.

One of the very finest French opera recordings of the entire post WW II era. Simoneau and Alarie are flawless and magical together; I don't think anyone has ever been better. Depraz excels in his complicated and slightly awkward role. Fournet's direction drives Bizet's music to all its stunning climaxes without slighting a single musical detail. On the whole, the best "Pearlfishers" I know.

Be it said that this is apparently a 1953 recording. It's of a very high standard for that period, but it is not in stereo and is a bit bass shy.

This was my first hearing of The Pearl Fishers, and I was pleasantly surprised by the appealing music of this lesser-known opera by Bizet. At times, the music sounds like that of his Symphony in C, although there is an "exotic" tinge to much of the orchestration and harmonies (in an attempt to create "Hindu-sounding" music). The music also reminds me of Gounod, especially Gounod's Romeo et Juliette. Although this opera is short on plot and drama, it is one of the few operas that I can listen to from beginning to end without getting bored or distracted. Bizet knew how to write appealing melodies and ensembles.

There are two negatives, however, that I should mention. First, the engineered sound is from the 50's, and this is most noticeable in the somewhat "screechy" sound of the soprano, Pierrette Alerie. I am reminded of Jeannette MacDonald singing in a 40's or 50's musical! (This is not meant as a criticism of Alerie's voice, which is actually very beautiful.) Secondly, there is no libretto in this CD set, so you will have to find one on the Internet, as I did. Unfortunately, I could not find an English translation. But, the French text is pretty basic, so it is not too difficult to understand if you have a basic reading skill in French.

As for the cast, I can find no fault, as all the leads perform admirably and have attractive voices. All in all, this is a performance and recording to treasure, despite its age (from 1954).

This is without doubt the perfect version of the Pearl Fishers. The superb Lamoureux conducted by its founder Jean Fournet creates Bizet's opera in splendid form. A treasure!

This is a CD remastering of Bizet's "The Pearl Fishers" featuring the great French lyric tenor Leopold Simoneau and his wife Pierrette Alarie. But for the somewhat two dimensional sound of early CDs, I would have given this release five stars for the singing is superb. A most pleasant addition to any operatic collection. Bill Potts, Bethesda, MD.

There never has been a better performance of this opera than this older version with a real life husband and wife team and sung, as expected, in French.

I had the original records, still have them actually, and was delighted to see a version on CD available.

The tenor, Leopold Simoneau only passed away recently.

Ordering the CD's from Amazon was a simple task and it arrived weeks within the anticipated time for delivery. Well done, Amazon.

I do know the opera well and can thoroughly recommend this version of a colourful and melodic opera. You will not be disappointed.

I was very disappointed to receive the opera without a libretto. One should be able to assume that the libretto is included with the recording as has been standard practice for decades. The product description should specify when the libretto is not included.