The Pearl Fishers

The Pearl Fishers is not one of the more popular operas, but it does include the best known operatic duet and two of the best arias in the French repertoire. In between is not so exciting.

However, Melbourne Opera put up a strong case for this opera, though the singers took a while to warm up. Tenor Robert Barbaro seemed a bit under-powered and the famous duet with Michael Lampard in the first act lacked the excitement one would expect. He then redeemed himself with some beautiful singing in his aria and duet with Leila. Then, when the chorus opened up, he easily cut through.

As Leila, Barbara Zavros seemed a bit out of sorts in the first act, her voice being uneven at the top, but, like Robert, she sang beautifully in her aria and duet with him, and generated real excitement in her last act duet with Michael.

Meanwhile, as Zurga, Michael Lampard was a tower of strength and sang magnificently. The role of Nourabad is written for a bass and though Matthew Thomas had the height and presence for the role, he does not have the weight of a real bass, so the role lacked impact. 

The chorus singing, as I have come to expect, was excellent, and having four dancers gave an impression of movement without the chorus having to participate. The small stage was very crowded, particularly with an enormous rock covered a fair proportion of the area. There were times when the chorus had to rush on or off stage, and I felt by utilizing the younger choristers more effectively this would have worked better.

The orchestra under Richard Divall did well and the costumes were colourful. Well done. 

Graham Ford

Photographer: Matt Deller