Pelléas et Mélisande

The Met’s historic 2018–19 season saw Yannick Nézet-Séguin’s become the company’s Jeanette Lerman-Neubauer Music Director, and in his inaugural year, the maestro was on the podium not only for a new production of Verdi’s La Traviata and a powerful revival of Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites but also for a series of stunning performances of Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande. A tale of forbidden love and revenge, the work features one of opera’s most mesmerizing scores, offering Nézet-Séguin an ideal platform for his artistry. Tenor Paul Appleby and mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard made their role debuts as the titular lovers, opposite bass-baritone Kyle Ketelsen as the imperious Golaud. The exceptional cast also included veteran bass Ferruccio Furlanetto as the wise king Arkel and debutante contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux as Geneviève.