Les pêcheurs de perles has had a rather spotty history outside of France since its 1863 premiere: a total of three performances at the Met in 1916, and zero at Wiener Staatsoper (which even gave Bizet’s Djamileh 25 times). So what’s not to like? It’s exotic, campy, full of tunes, has two sure-fire hits for the tenor and baritone and a lesser-known showpiece for the soprano, and is shorter than a movie.

Theater an der Wien did justice to Bizet earlier this season with a cast starring Diana Damrau, Dmitry Korchak, and Nathan Gunn. Lotte de Beer’s lavish, over-the-top production portrayed a hit TV reality competition show: The Pearl Fishers – The Challenge. Behind the main playing area, which featured bustling studio technicians and sets of beaches and temples was a huge, multi-tiered apartment building shorn of it façade. Inside, the inhabitants of every apartment – from a gathering of poor students to a rich couple sipping champagne – were glued to the tube, applauding, laughing, and arguing.

In a segment not included on this recording was a video in which “people on the streets” (actors) were asked how much the show meant to them. Later, viewers texted their votes for the fate of Leila and Nadir, the verdict by a huge majority: thumbs down. This bit of Regie-madness was a huge success, and helped bring a new audience to a much-neglected and unfairly-maligned opera which is slowly finding its place in the standard repertoire.

Georges Bizet: Les pêcheurs de perles

Arnold Schoenberg Chor
Radio-Symphonieorchester Wien
Jean-Christophe Spinosi
Theater an der Wien
22 November 2014

Leila – Diana Damrau
Nadir – Dmitry Korchak
Zurga – Nathan Gunn
Nourabad – Nicolas Testé