Pelléas and Mélisande

Pelléas and Mélisande is a Symbolist play by the Belgian playwright and author Maurice Maeterlinck about the forbidden, doomed love of the title characters. Mélisande, married to Golaud, falls in love with his brother Pelléas, leading to jealousy and tragedy.

The play, first performed in 1893, never achieved great success on stage but it was admired by the literary elite of the symbolist movement, including Strindberg and Rilke.

This recording uses an abridged version of the original text devised by Claude Debussy for his operatic version. He removed scenes involving minor characters in order to simplify the casting. Maeterlinck himself approved the abridgement.

(Summary by Alan Mapstone)

Cast list:

Arkel, King of Allemonde: Beeswaxcandle

Geneviere, mother of Pelleas and Golaud: Claudia Caldi

Pelleas, grandson of Arkel: Kurt

Golaud, grandson of Arkel: Greg Giordano

Melisande: Sonia

Little Yniold, Golaud's son by his first marriage: Inkell

Shepherd: redrun

Physician: David Purdy

Stage Directions: Alan Mapstone