The Pearl Fishers
Posted in Classical, Opera on Apr 19th, 2009 No Comments »
The duet, ‘From the Depths of the Temple’ from Bizet’s opera ‘The Pearl Fishers’, has always been immensely popular, and for some years was the most popular selection in the BBC’s ‘One Hundred Best Tunes.’ It was also my mother’s favourite. When I was 14 I bought it for her as a 45rpm record - an EP, or Extended PLay, two numbers on each side. In addition there was the duet from the fourth Act of La Boheme, and the tenor arias ‘Questa o quella’ from Verdi’s ‘Rigoletto’ and the ‘Lamento di Federico’ from Cilea’s ‘L’Arlesiana’. I don’t have to remember them - I have her EP here before me.
The tenor in question is Jussi Bjoerling, one of the finest tenors since Caruso, equalled only by Pavarotti. Here he is singing Bizet’s duet, with Robert Merrill, in that famous recording my mother loved so much.
