Rarely Performed Gem

Leo Delibes’ little-performed yet incredibly brilliant 1883 masterpiece Lakme plays in Seattle in a magnificent concert presentation from Seattle Opera. The immense technical demands placed on the lead soprano are partly why fully staged productions of this delicate tragedy are rare, but the music is breathtaking and features some well-known treasures, including the “Flower Duet” and “Bell Song”. With critically acclaimed soprano Aigul Khismatullina taking the role of Lakme, the Seattle Symphony provides musical backing with 50 voices from the Seattle Opera Chorus. 

What Is The Story?

Lakmé is the beautiful daughter of Nilakantha, a high priest of a forbidden Hindu sect, in 19th-century India during the British Raj. While her father harbors a deep hatred for the British occupiers, Lakmé’s world turns upside downwhen Gerald, a young British officer, trespasses into her sacred garden. An instant, forbidden love ignites between them, and their brief happiness is threatened by the forces pulling them in opposite directions, with Lakme eventually forced to make a heartbreaking sacrifice.