Love and friendship ignited by memories - Les pêcheurs de perles by FC Bergman
© Annemie Augustijns Friday Friday, 15th December 2023, the premiere evening of The Pearl Hunters, staged by the Flemish Opera and Ballet in Antwerp's 1907 opera house. The red curtain is closed. On either side of the front stage, there are formica tables and chairs. An old man is sitting in one of them. The conductor arrives, and the applause ends. The first note of the prelude is a hard beat. Just during this beat, the man's head falls into the plate in front of him. At that moment, the curtain opens upwards to reveal a grey, cold dining hall. Old people are sitting, and nurses are walking around in an unpleasant nursing home. During the prelude, two nurses arrive on a stretcher and take the deceased person away. After that, the opening chorus featuring an oriental melody follows. It is sung by a choir aged with make-up; the elderly, like pearl hunters defying death, are one step closer to death every moment, but they resist death with every moment they live. Meanwhile, on t...