The gossamer, ethereal quality of Claude Debussy’s 1902 opera is sensitively caught in Benjamin Lazar’s imaginative 2016 production from the Malmö Opera--a performance that also radiates a sense of humanity often absent from more abstract stagings. The libretto, based on Maurice Maeterlinck’s symbolist tragedy, centers on jealousy and doomed love. Golaud (Laurent Alvaro) weds Mélisande (Jenny Daviet), a girl he finds weeping in the forest, but comes to suspect that she is cheating on him with his half-brother Pelléas (Marc Mauillon), so he assigns Yniold (Julie Mathevet)--his son by a previous marriage--to spy on the pair. Things do not end well, as the principals die and Golaud is left to wonder whether he badly misjudged the two of them from the very beginning. With a dreamily bucolic set and modern costumes in pastel hues, Lazar’s visual presentation is romantic but restrained, never indulging in excess emotion even at the most wrenching moments. The singing throughout is similarly controlled, as is the pristine playing of the company orchestra under the sure hand of Maxime Pascal. All in all, this is a sufficiently distinctive version of Pelléas to merit consideration even by those who already own an earlier release. Presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 and PCM stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and PCM stereo on Blu-ray, this is recommended. (F. Swietek)
Pelléas et Mélisande
(2016) 178 min. In French w/English subtitles. DVD: 2 discs, $29.99; Blu-ray: $39.99. Bel Air Classiques (dist. by Naxos of America). Volume 33, Issue 3
Pelléas et Mélisande
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