Pelléas et Mélisande – La Monnaie-De Munt, Brussels

I am sure I could find people to argue with me about this, but I think Pelléas et Mélisande is such a strange opera that there really is no wrong way to stage it. There certainly is no literal way to stage it! This work becomes whatever the listener/viewer makes of it. 

Stéphane Degout and Dietrich Henschel

Keris9 at Opera Journal just reviewed this production from La Monnaie-De Munt, Brussels. It will only be available for streaming from the opera company website till May 24, so I decided to get out this notice and link to the review now, instead of waiting till I can review it myself.

Go watch it now! We can talk about it later.

La Monnaie-De Munt, Brussels
Ludovic Morlot, Pierre Audi, Anish Kapoor, Stéphane Degout, Monica Bacelli, Dietrich Henschel, Sylvie Brunet-Grupposo, Frode Olsen, Patrick Bolleire, Alexandre Duhamel, Valérie Gabail

La Monnaie Internet Streaming through May 24, 2013

Update 05/26/2013: This is now available at arte.tv (for about 6 months.) No subtitles.

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.