Pelléas et Mélisande

Claude Debussy's only complete opera is a haunting, shadowy work, based on a tragedy by symbolist writer Maurice Maeterlinck and presented here in a 2012 Paris Opera revival of Robert Wilson's highly stylized 1997 production. Ostensibly, the story revolves around a romantic triangle in which Golaud weds the mysterious Mélisande, whom he discovered in the forest, and later kills his half-brother, Pelléas, after finding the younger man with Mélisande (who eventually dies after giving birth to a child). Eschewing conventional arias and ensembles in favor of a declamatory style halfway between speech and song, Wilson takes his cue from the orchestral score's waves and eddies—having the singers, who often take static poses, move in a fashion that suggests they're underwater. Visually, the look is decidedly minimalist: most of the costumes are plain frock coats or long flowing gowns in muted colors; the sets are spare and geometric; and the lighting casts a ghostly blue-gray hue. Philippe Jordan's conducting is solid, and the cast—Stéphane Degout (Pelléas), Elena Tsallagova (Mélisande), and Vincent Le Texier (Golaud), along with Anne Sofie von Otter as Geneviève, the mother of Pelléas and Golaud—appear to be totally in tune with Debussy's long, arching lines. Unfortunately, the ethereal visuals are offset here by a disappointing Dolby Digital mono soundtrack. Optional. (F. Swietek)