Pelléas et Mélisande, Glyndebourne, 1998 – Part 2: Relax and Float Downstream

John Tomlinson

So, what the heck is this opera about anyway? Golaud is so angry. He is abusive and bullying, especially towards Ynoild and Mélisande.  Did he abuse his first wife, or did his personality change due to anger and grief over her…death? …abduction? …escape? …nervous breakdown? He’s dismissive of the young lovers—maybe he is in denial about their romance—referring them to as children engaging in child’s play. 

Pelléas et Mélisande, Glyndebourne, 1998 – Part 1: Turn Off Your Mind...

In an impressionist work of art nothing can be assumed to be as it appears; it's symbolic. How can people possibly complain about the setting not being literal? Isn't that the point of impressionism?

Richard Croft

What the heck is Pelléas et Mélisande about, anyway? Maeterlinck and Debussy deliberately left things vague, and I wonder if any physical production by its very nature will place more interpretive weight on the story than the composer and playwright intended. Perhaps the closest one could come would be to sit in a quiet room and silently read the score. However, this opera is much better heard and seen, even if you disagree with the vision.