X-Nico

unusual facts about Pelléas et Mélisande



Betsy Jolas

Already she had been moved from sources as varied as Musorgsky in Boris Godunov, Lassus, and Delibes in the “Bell Song” from Lakmé, but also Debussy in Pelléas et Mélisande has suggested a prosody that reframes the pulse, whereby she alters the tempo of the beat places notes in unsuspected groupings within the beat, creating her characteristic wave rhythm.

Clarence Whitehill

He was especially acclaimed in such taxing Wagnerian parts as Hans Sachs in Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, but he also appeared in the Met premiere of the French operas Louise (in 1921) and Pelléas et Mélisande (in 1925), and in the North American premiere of Erich Wolfgang Korngold's one-act opera Violanta (on 5 November 1927).

Cleofonte Campanini

Campanini was known for his association with French opera, and introduced numerous works to the United States; these included Hérodiade, I gioielli della Madonna, Louise, Pelléas et Mélisande, Monna Vanna, Jules Massenet's Sapho, and Thaïs.

Johannette Zomer

She has appeared on the opera stage since 1996 as Pamina in Mozart's The Magic Flute, as Euridice both in Monteverdi’s L'Orfeo and Haydn’s L'anima del filosofo, and as Mélisande in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande.

Lajos Kozma

Born on September 2, 1938, in Lepsény, Hungary, he studied at the Franz Liszt Academy in Budapest, and made his debut at the Budapest Opera in 1962, where he won considerable acclaim as Pelléas in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande.

Theodor Uppman

His career was sparked by his 1947 concert performance as Pelléas in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande, with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra under Pierre Monteux, and Maggie Teyte as Mélisande.

Vanni Marcoux

Word of his many successes crossed the Atlantic, and he was invited to join the Boston Opera Company, where he made his debut in 1912 as Golaud in Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande.


see also