Pelléas and Mélisande 1985Opéra de Lyon
Read more about the opera Pelléas et Mélisande
The operatic contribution to the 1985 Edinburgh Festival was largely French in origin. At the King's John Eliot Gardiner displayed his Lyon company in two revelatory productions - a fresh look at Pelléas et Mélisande and an unknown delight in Chabrier's Etoile. We also enjoyed the first visit by William Chistie's Les Arts Florissants, in a double-bill of baroque delights, Rameau (Anacréon) and Charpentier (Actéon).
A fascinating evening – not particularly because of the production, which was minimalist, but rather for the contribution of John Eliot Gardiner, who put into effect ideas the composer had to arrange the instruments in the pit in a novel layout, ignoring the traditional allocation by section, but mixing them up so the sound blended in an unusual way. The result was an intriguingly different sound world. The top quality cast helped to ensure an excellent performance, with José Van Dam making his only appearance in opera in Scotland..
