A new production of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande is to be staged by Monte-Carlo Opera. This drama in 5 acts and 12 tableaux stars British baritone Huw Montague Rendall as Pelléas, French-Italian mezzo-soprano Lea Desandre as Mélisande and Canadian bass-baritone Gerald Finley as Golaud, brother of Pelléas. Kazuki Yamada conducts and the production is directed by Jean-Louis Grinda.
Debussy wrote Pelléas et Mélisande between 1893 and 1895. It was based on Maurice Maeterlinck’s 1892 play of the same name, and is set in imagined medieval surroundings, featuring myth, fairytale, a dark castle and a forest. The opera was premiered in Paris at the Opéra-Comique on 30th April 1902.
The story tells of a love triangle between two brothers – one, Golaud, is eager to please but unloved, the other, Pelléas is sensitive and charming – and a blonde princess of unknown origin, who becomes the victim of the brothers’ strife. Golaud takes a walk in the woods, and he comes upon the beautiful Mélisande, who has lost her crown in a stream. She doesn’t wish to get in to fetch the crown because she’ll be wet and dirty, but Golaud helps her and falls in love with her. He asks her to marry him, which she does. Mélisande then falls in love for real, but not with Golaud—with his brother, Pelléas. The meet covertly at a fountain, and Mélisande ‘accidentally’ loses her wedding ring in a well, as she accidentally dropped her crown. Golaud suspects the couple of an affair, and when they sneak away to meet, he quickly finds the couple and murders his brother, wounding Mélisande badly. It turns out that Mélisande was pregnant, and the trauma of the attack causes the premature birth of her baby girl. She dies from the complications of childbirth and from the wound.
Huw Montague Rendall, is described by the New York Times as “the best Pélleas of his generation”. He has already made hugely acclaimed debuts on some of the world’s most important stages such as the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Opéra National de Paris, Festival d’Aix en Provence, and the Salzburg and Glyndebourne festivals, Montague Rendall’s 2025/26 season began with his return to the Royal Opera House for Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, before he made his debut at Gran Teatre del Liceu as Belcore in Donizetti’s L’elisir d’amore, and as Dandini Rossini’s La Cenerentola at Opéra national de Paris. He also appears as Il Conte in Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro at Wiener Staatsoper. Future appearances include the role of Pelleas in Glasgow and Edinburgh, Mozart’s The Magic Flute and in recital at Teatro della Zarzuela in Madrid.
“Lea Desandre brought life and beauty to everything she touched” says the New York Times. She has appeared at l’Opéra national de Paris, the Salzburg Festival, Carnegie Hall, Festival d’Aix-en-Provence, Sydney Opera House and made a return visit to the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles. She has been invited on concert tours across the USA, Canada, Japan, to China and Korea, Australia and Europe, and to the Opera houses of Bordeaux, Strasbourg and Dijon. Ms Desandre has recently appeared as Cherubino in Mozart’s La Nozze de Figaro at Opera de Paris, and will go on to the Zurich Opernhaus in her debut as Sesto in Mozart’s La Clemenza di Tito. She will also appear in a recital of songs by Mozart and Rossini at Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, which she will repeat at the Centre for Fine Arts in Brussels.
Gerald Finley, says the New York Times, “has long been recognized as a recitalist of rare versatility, a concert artist of the first rank and an opera singer of distinction in a broad repertory”. He created the role of Helge in Mark-Anthony Turnage’s Festen, which premiered at the Royal Opera House in February 2025, and which won the 2025 Olivier Award for Best New Opera production. He also created the role of Harry Heegen in Turnage’s The Silver Tassle. Recent signature roles include the title role in Rossini’s Guillaume Tell, J Robert Oppenheimer in John Adam’s Dr Atomic and Jaufré Rudel in Saariaho’s L’amour de loin. He is scheduled to appear in the title role of Wagner’s Parsifal at the Wiener Staatsoper, il Conte in Mozart’s Le nozze di figaro at the Bayerische Staatsoper, where will also take the title role in Verdi’s Macbeth.
Also in the cast are Laurent Naouri as Arkel, Jennifer Courcier as Yniold and Marie Gautrot as Geneviève.
Sets and lighting are by Laurent Castaingt and costumes by Jorge Jara.
Kazuki Yamade leads the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Chorus of the Monte-Carlo Opera (director Stefano Visconti) in four performances of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande from 22nd to 28th February at the Monte-Carlo Opera. Further information and details of ticketing can be found on the Monte-Carlo Opera website.
Information sourced from:
Monte-Carlo Opera programme notes
Metropolitan Opera
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