Lakmé, an insubordinate charmer

Lakmé, daughter of the god Brahma, dares to defy social and religious order, to defy her adoring father, to emancipate her vestal character by opening herself up to human love.
Beyond the “tacky” orientalism so popular in the 19th century, this is a powerful, sacrificial figure.

And yet, this “cheap orientalism” nurtured by the travel tales of Théodore Pavie (1811 – 1896), tales that greatly influenced Pierre Loti (1891 – 1923), himself a great traveler with a passion for the Orient, This orientalism, from which Gondinet and Gille drew the libretto for Lakmé, inspired Delibes (1836 – 1891) to write some of the most delicate, subtle and fragrant melodies imaginable.
Let us be carried away by the tender, pyrotechnic melodies of Lakmé, the wild romantic tirades of tenor Gérald, the nationalist imprecations of Brahmane Nilakantha.