Slovene National Theatre Maribor
Léo Delibes: Lakmé
Opera in three acts
Based on the short story Les babouches du Brahmane by Théodore Pavie and the autobiographical novel Rarahu, ou Le mariage de Loti by Pierre Loti
Libretto: Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille
World premiere: 14 April 1883, Opéra-Comique, Paris
Premiere: 6 February 2026, Ondina Otta Klasinc Hall
Delibes’s opera, where exoticism, forbidden love, and melodic beauty entwine, is set in colonial India and tells the poignant tale of a young Hindu priestess and her unfulfilled love for a British officer. Beneath its shimmering surface lies a narrative charged with cultural contrasts and tensions, where personal longing collides with duty, faith, and tradition. Though Lakmé is steeped in 19th-century Orientalism, today it invites us to revisit timeless themes of identity, power, and the often cruel consequences of intercultural encounters. Delibes’s score radiates elegance and tonal richness, woven into a tapestry of graceful lines, sensual harmonies, and refined orchestration that continues to captivate the European imagination. At the heart of the opera lies the famed Flower Duet – one of the most iconic pieces in the operatic repertoire – matched in brilliance by Lakmé’s dazzling Bell Song, which reveals her emotional depth and vocal virtuosity. Yet Lakmé offers more than a musical fascination with the exotic sounds of the East; now more than ever, it resonates as a moving meditation on proximity and estrangement in a deeply divided world, where the personal is inseparable from the political.
Conductor: Mojca Lavrenčič
Stage Director: Pier Francesco Maestrini
Set Designer: Nicolás Boni
Costume Designer: Stefania Scaraggi
Chorus Master: Zsuzsa Budavari Novak
Lighting Designer: Sašo Bekafigo
Choreographer: Cleopatra Purice
Assistant Stage Director: Tim Ribič
Assistant Costume Designer: Paolo Vitale
Cast
Lakmé, a priestess and Nilakantha’s daughter — Nina Dominko
Gérald, an officer in the British Army — Martin Sušnik
Nilakantha, a Brahmin priest — Andrea Tabili / Peter Gojkošek
Frédéric, an officer and Gérald’s friend — Jaki Jurgec
Mallika, Lakmé’s maid — Irena Petkova
Hadji, Nilakantha’s servant — Dušan Topolovec
Miss Ellen, Gérald’s fiancée — Andreja Zakonjšek Krt
Miss Rose, Ellen’s friend — Mojca Potrč
Mrs Bentson, the governess — Dada Kladenik
Chinese Merchant — Bogdan Stopar
Fortune Teller — Tomaž Planinc
Thief — Sebastijan Čelofiga
Officers, ladies, merchants, Brahmins, musicians
Slovene National Theatre Maribor Ballet
Slovene National Theatre Maribor Opera Chorus
Slovene National Theatre Maribor Symphony Orchestra
Concertmaster: Oksana Pečeny
Repetiteurs: Sofia Ticchi, Anna Fernandez Torres, Robert Mraček
French Language Coaches: Deja Žunko Mangotić, Katja Ferlinc Knez
Prompter: Sabina Alatič
English Translation of the Libretto: Katja Ferlinc Knez
Surtitles: Boštjan Petek, Cristian Popovici
Stage Managers: Iztok Smeh, Matjaž Marin, Filip Tašner
The performance is sung in French, with Croatian and English surtitles.
Duration
Act I – 50 minutes
Intermission – 20 minutes
Act II – 50 minutes
Intermission – 20 minutes
Act III – 30 minutes
