The Flower Duet-Lakme by Joan Sutherland and Jane Berbie

Two sopranos and a vocal coach have liked our site in the past week; and in their honor, we are going back to opera, the primary foundation for musical theatre. We have chosen a French opera, composed by Leo Delibes (1836-1891), entitled Lakme. As is usually the case, the story is sad; it tells of an Indian Priestess (Lakme) who falls in love with a British officer (Gerald), only to watch her Father, a Brahman Priest (Nilakantha), stab the officer as an intruder. Lakme nurses the officer back to health; but, when confronted by her Father and the inevitable return of the officer to his regiment, she eats a poisonous flower and dies. The opera has given us two great arias: the Act One duet between Lakme and her servant, Mallika, (“The Flower Duet”) and the Act Two aria sung by Lakme (“The Bell Song”). In a 1940 recording, Lily Pons sang Lakme, with Ezio Pinza, as her Father, Nilakantha. While Lily Pons would be our choice for “The Bell Song,” we are inclined to share with you “The Flower Duet” sung by Joan Sutherland (Lakme) and Jane Berbie (Mallika, mezzo-soprano) from their 1967 recording. The reason for this choice is that the duet is as delicate as the flowers the two women are admiring.