Pelléas et Mélisande – Debussy

Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande is based on the symbolist play by Maurice Maeterlinck, in which a prince, lost in a forest, discovers a beautiful woman weeping beside a pool of water – bringing him in contact with a supernatural world from which there is no escape. The extraordinary cast features tenor Antonin Rondepierre as Pelléas, soprano Meghan Lindsay as Mélisande, bass-baritone Douglas Williams as Golaud, bass-baritone Philippe Sly making his Opera Atelier debut as Arkel, soprano and Opera Atelier Artist-in-Residence soprano Measha Brueggergosman-Lee as Geneviève, and Mezzo-Soprano Cynthia Akemi-Smithers as Yniold. “Debussy’s deep admiration for 17th century French music runs like an undercurrent throughout Pelléas et Mélisande, making his mysterious, magical composition particularly suited to my sensibilities as a choreographer of Baroque dancing and classical ballet,” says Lajeunesse Zingg. “In OA’s production of Pelléas et Mélisande, the Artists of Atelier Ballet represent invisible forces of nature that drive the actions of the characters on stage.”