Lakmé by Léo Delibes

Concergebouw, Amsterdam
Netherlands Radio Symphony and Chorus
Patrick Fournillier, conductor

Performers: Sumi Jo (Lakmé); Jianyi Zhang (Gerald); Marina Comparato (Mallika); Angelina Ruzzafante (Rose); Ellen Schuring (Ellen); Chester Patton (Nilakantha)

If we felt like being uncharitable -- accurate, maybe, but uncharitable -- we might refer to the 19th-century French composer Léo Delibes as a one-hit wonder. He wrote operas, which are mostly unknown now. He also wrote ballets and a couple of those get played, but not very often.

Yet, Delibes happens to be responsible for one of the most popular tunes anybody ever wrote -- an Act I duet for soprano and mezzo-soprano from his opera, Lakmé, which you have almost surely heard before, even thought it probably wasn't in the opera house. One of the duets most recent incarnations is as background music for a dreamlike, British Airways TV commercial.

The thing is, the rest of Lakmé is more than just, "the opera that famous duet comes from." As you'll find out this week on World of Opera, much of the three-act score shares the same airy exoticism that makes the ubiquitous duet so memorable.

The story, set in India, is relatively straightforward -- sort of a "Romeo and Juliet" thing, recast on the Asian subcontinent. On the air this week, with a performance from Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, World of Opera host Lisa Simeone gives you the condensed version. So here it is, in a little more detail:

Act I: In the 19th-century India that the opera presents, the country is controlled by the British, much to the dismay of much of the Indian population. One man who especially resents British rule is Nilakantha, a Brahmin priest. As the opera begins, Nilakantha and his daughter, a priestess named Lakmé, celebrate a ceremony that the British government has forbidden.

When Nilakantha heads into town for a festival, Lakmé and her servant Mallika go to a riverbank to gather lotus flowers. (That's the occasion for the memorable duet that has given the opera much of its renown.) Before long, a group of English citizens appear, including two young officers, Gerald and Frederic. They are aware of Nilakantha's reputation, and they're wary of approaching his home. But Frederic mentions Lakmé, whom Nilakantha has elevated nearly to the status of a goddess. Gerald can't resist. He goes closer, and encounters Lakmé. Almost immediately, he declares his love for her, and his passion seems contagious. But Lakmé warns him that there will be trouble if her father returns. Naturally, that's what happens. Nilakantha appears, drives Gerald away, and resolves to kill this nonbeliever for trespassing on his land, not to mention getting within shouting distance of his daughter.

Act II: Some English women, including Ellen -- Gerald's fiance -- and her governess Mistress Bentson, are in a square, enjoying the local color. Nilakantha and Lakmé show up in disguise. Nilakantha is looking for Gerald. He urges Lakmé to sing, hoping that will attract Gerald's attention. She sings about a young woman who is taken into the heavens as reward for helping a stranger. Nilakantha's ploy works. Gerald appears and approaches Lakmé. She's afraid for him, but she can't hide her feelings. She tells her servant, Hadji, about a place in the forest where she and Gerald might be able to meet. Nilakantha's men step in and attack Gerald with knives, wounding him. Lakmé is forced to leave Gerald's side, but Hadji helps him escape into the woods.

Act III: Lakmé and Gerald are alone at her secret spot in the forest, near a sacred stream. Local legend has it that couples who drink from the stream will be united forever. In the background young lovers are heard singing by the water. Gerald is recovering from his wounds, and Lakmé leaves him, to bring a cup of the sacred water. While she's gone, Frederic quietly appears. He tells Gerald that his duty is to leave Lakmé, and return to his company. Frederic also reminds Gerald of the fiance, Ellen, whom he seems to have jilted. When Gerald finally agrees to return to his duties, Frederic leaves.

Lakmé returns with the sacred water, but senses something is wrong. She knows, somehow, that Gerald is prepared to leave her. Before he can stop her, she eats a datura blossom -- a poisonous flower. As she's dying, Nilkantha finds the lovers together. He threatens to kill Gerald, but custom prevents it. Gerald has taken the sacred water and is joined to Lakmé for eternity. Lakmé dies, and Nilakantha sings that, like the woman in Lakmé's song from Act II, his daughter has joined the gods in heaven.

On some NPR stations, Lisa Simeone will be back after the opera to look at the 19th-century trend of French operas, set in India. She'll have music from Bizet's opera, The Pearl Fishers and Massenet's The King of Lahore. Also some of Delibes' own ballet music. Check local listings.

 
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