The events of the opera are set in a mythical world. Mélisande, who has been found in a forest, ends up in a mysterious castle as the wife of Golaud, but her love for the young Pelléas leads to a tragedy. The dreamy, otherworldly feel of Pelléas ja Mélisande is a reflection on the depths of the human mind, loneliness and premonitions. Its power arises from the silences and rests. The meditative opera is conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen.
Recommended for children over the age of 12.
“To me, water is a metaphor for the longing of the exiled and for ominous, unpredicted accidents. As the messenger of dreamlike premonitions, it is the element of both the mermaid-like Mélisande and the anguish that men experience upon encountering the unknown and unmapped – in a woman and in themselves.”
– Director Marco Arturo Marelli
– Marco Arturo Marelli on the music of Debussy
Golaud finds a mysterious woman by a fountain. She tells him nothing but her name: Mélisande. Though she initially resists, Golaud takes Mélisande with him to Allemonde. Golaud and Mélisande marry, but Goulaud’s half brother Pelléas falls in love with Mélisande.
Finally, Pelléas and Mélisande avow their love for each other, ready to escape Allemonde together. Golaud puts a stop to this and kills Pelléas. Mélisande gives birth to a child, dies and remains the mystery she was when she arrived.
You can read the complete synopsis in the programme leaflet.
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