The Flower Duet

Sous le dôme épais

The Flower Duet by Leo Delibes

Recommended by Kim

"Most people are familiar with this song via fancy shampoo or chocolate commercials, but I sang this song 5 years ago in high school choir. Though my French is probably off now, I still enjoy singing this song from time to time (mainly in the shower, pretending I'm in one of those shampoo ads). But it's interesting to take a look into the history of the song in the context of the opera, Lakmé. It takes a look at mid-19th Century British India from through a Western lens, a time when religious oppression was prevalent. Another thing I recommend is comparing the direct French translation to the singable English lyrics. It's interesting to see what changes and what stays relatively the same."

Okay so first of all, this song is beautiful. I understand why brands that want to present themselves as luxury items use it in their advertisements. Those strings sound super elegant. Opera in general just has that feeling of splendor and magnificence.

I wish I had been in choir while y'all sang this because it's really lovely. That soprano part floats on top and glistens, and I would have loved to hear what Jana would have said to try and pull that out of us in high school.

But it's not just the sopranos. The texture created by the interplay of the two musical lines is really great.

Plus, we sang a lot of beautiful pieces that were also the saddest things in the world. It's a nice change to hear something that brings tears to my eyes in a good way. This duet is in a nice major key, it flows along at a pretty ambling pace, and the lyrics are literally just about flowers.

I was worried when you said it was in an opera, but both the English translation and the singable lyrics are just about swans and a riverbank covered with jasmine and roses and lotuses.

To be fair, the flower-picking is used in the opera as a distraction from whatever distressing deeds this character's dad is going to do in the name of religion...but for the moment, all is well.

Overview:

Genre:
Opera

Favorite Lyrics:
One hand reaches,
Reaches for the bank,
Where the spring sleeps,
And the bird, the bird sings.

Verdict:
So flowery