Les pêcheurs de perles

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Les pêcheurs de perles (The Pearl Fishers) is an opera in three acts by Georges Bizet, to a libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michael Carré. While not nearly as popular as his more famous Carmen, it contains a wealth of attractive music and has found some popularity despite its weak libretto. It received its premiere on 30 September 1863 at the Théâtre-Lyrique in Paris.

The story follows a fairly formulaic plot after the traditions of the grand opéra style, featuring a love triangle set in the exotic location of Ceylon. Notably, the two librettists expressed regret that they had not been aware of Bizet's talent at the time of the libretto's composition; otherwise, they contended, they would have supplied him with a better text. It survives largely through recordings, in particular the famous tenor aria "Je crois entendre encore," and the tenor-baritone duet "Au fond du temple saint". The latter duet came in at No 1. in Australia's ABC Classic FM 'The Classic 100 Opera', a poll where the population voted for the one moment in opera they could not live without.