1.8 (above average)
Thursday 24 February 2011
Tune of the Day: Je crois entendre encore
from “Les pêcheurs de perles” by Georges Bizet, arranged for Flute and Piano
Les pêcheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers) is an opera in three acts by Georges Bizet, first performed in 1863. Bizet's most successful opera apart from Carmen, it is notable for its colorful and exotic orchestration, but was not well-received at the time.
The scene is set in Ceylon and concerns the love of Zurga, king of the pearl fishers, and his friend Nadir for a beautiful priestess, Léïla. “Je crois entendre encore” (“I believe to still hear“) is sung by Nadir near the end of the first act. In the past, Nadir had fallen in love with Léïla. Now, a veiled priestess has come to his village and he recognizes her as Léïla. He sings of his love for her, which has not been diminished by the time they have spent apart.