Pelléas et Mélisande (Jan. 1, 2011)

Composer: Claude Debussy
Librettist: Maurice Maeterlinck

Rattle; Kozená, Palmer, Degout, Finley, White

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus

Approximate running time: 2 hrs. 52 min.

Star conductor Simon Rattle leads a superb cast in this mesmerizing performance of Debussy’s rarely staged opera. Stéphane Degout and Magdalena Kožená are the tragic title couple—lovers caught in a web of passion as strong as it is forbidden. Gerald Finley delivers a remarkable portrayal of Golaud, Mélisande’s husband and Pelléas’s half-brother, and Felicity Palmer is their mother, Geneviève. Willard White brings dramatic and vocal intensity to the brief but crucial role of the blind old king Arkel. * This title is not available for streaming in all countries. Please click on the "Related Article" link in the player for more details.