Organization

Opera Ballet Vlaanderen

Conductor

Karel Deseure

Stage director

FC Bergman

Set designer

Lighting designer

Costume designer

Judith van Herck

Chorus master

Jan Schweiger

Dramaturge

Luc Joosten

Singer

Soprano

Elena Tsallagova

Leila

Sarah Yang

Tenor

Stefan Cifolelli

Nadir

Marc Laho

Baritone

Kartal Karagedik

Zurga

Bass

Jacob Abel

Nourabad

Opéra de Lille

Théâtres de la Ville de Luxembourg

Others

Choeur Opéra Vlaanderen

Orchestra

Symfonisch Orkest Opera Ballet Vlaanderen

Eugene Richards

Young Zurga

Quirijn de Lang

Bianca Zueneli

YOUNG LÉÏLA

Jan Deboom

YOUNG NADIR

French

Les Pêcheurs de perles -  (The Pearl Fishers)

Ghent

Belgium

Opera Gent (Operagebouw)

Antwerp

Opera Antwerp

Les Pêcheurs de perles Bizet

Public

Private

The Pearl Fishers

Dutch

English

Approved

‘A bull’s eye’, ‘a 100% successful tour de force’, ‘an impressive Pêcheurs de perles’: when FC Bergman tackled its first opera in 2018, the press showered it with superlatives. The Antwerp-based theatre company gave an ingenious twist to the orientalist reverie by composer Georges Bizet. Setting: from the exotic beaches of Ceylon to the grey tones of a retirement home. Cast: from a colony of pearl fishermen to a community of elderly people battling against time.

Once upon a time, best friends Nadir and Zurga fell in love with the same woman. They vowed to let the friendship prevail and to suppress their feelings for Léïla. Years later, history repeats itself… but how much later is it, exactly? FC Bergman stretches time and allows past and present to flow into each other. The result is a diorama of love that reaches to the core of Bizet’s nostalgic – and grossly underrated – score. Anyone who may have missed this opera gem, will now get a new chance.

Performance credits (Cast & Crew )

Cast

Crew

Ensemble

Co-Producer