Join us for a trip to Normandy and the Rouen Opera House for this week’s Sunday Opera (10/10 3:00 p.m.) and their production of Claude Debussy’s “Pelleas et Melisande.” Based on a play by Maurice Maeterlinck, the symbolic story focuses on the doomed love of the title characters. Melisande (Adele Charvet) is found by Golaud (Nicolas Courjal), one of two grandsons of King Arkel (Jean Teitgen), by a spring in the forest looking at what is apparently her crown in the water. She offers no information to Golaud, but he falls in love with and marries her anyway. When Golaud brings her home, Melisande meets his brother, Pelleas (Huw Montague Rendall), with whom she is immediately taken, but the two form a Platonic relationship which will eventually cause Golaud to become so jealous that he will kill both Pelleas and Melisande. Water in the form of the spring and a well where Melisande loses her wedding ring plays and important, symbolic role as does Melisande’s hair which is adored by Pelleas and used by Golaud to subdue her. Genevieve, Pelleas’ and Golaud’s mother, is sung by Lucile Richardot, and Yniold, Golaud’s young son, is performed by Anne-Sophie Petit. Pierre Dumoussaud leads the Rouen-Normandie Opera Orchestra and Dijon Opera Chorus.
Stay tuned after the opera when Michael Kownacky will bring you another couple, but this time, it's one that ends happily, in Maurice Ravel’s ballet “Daphnis et Chloe” performed by the Orchestra Philharmonique du Luxemburg conducted by Gustavo Ginero.
