A skilful blend of French lyricism and Oriental exoticism, which was very much in vogue in France in the 1860s, this opera sings of the love between Nadir and Leïla on the island of Ceylon.
Bizet explores themes of friendship, jealousy and redemption. Director Yoshi Oïda preserves the delicate poetry of the work without trying to show off, as if to let the characters' destinies express themselves in a set inspired by Turner's vaporous canvases. Fabrice Kebour's lighting "magically transforms day into night, into dawn, into storm" wrote a journalist in 2017, at the time of the premiere in Bordeaux.

• Coproduction Opéra Comique, Opéra Royal de Wallonie, Opéra National de Bordeaux - With the support of the Ateliers de l'Opéra National de Bordeaux
• Opera recorded by *France Musique *
• With the generous support of Aline Foriel-Destezet