Germain-du-Val in the Pays de la Loire region of France. This one is fun because itвЂ™s a rehearsal, sort of a вЂњbehind the scenesвЂќ look at art being crafted.ДЄnd now, a bit about the composer, who was born Clement Philibert LГ©o Delibes, in 1836, at St. LetвЂ™s give the Flower Duet a listen.* Courtesy of Warner Classics, it features soprano Sabine Devieilhe and mezzo-soprano Marianne Crebassa. Maybe one of those teeny French lemon tarts that has about six ingredients and the flavors just explode in your mouth, one after the other-the buttery flavor!-the rich lemon curd!-the sugar mixed with lemon juice that forms an adorable shell of icing-the tiny dollop of whipping cream and even tinier nub of lemon peel-its artful, compact size-oh, yes, to it all! (Particularly if youвЂ™re in Paris and youвЂ™ve just bought one at a patisserie that had a line out the door which means you found the best of the best. ItвЂ™s so pure, the only thing you can compare it to is the finest of champagnes, the way the first sip makes you feel. The вЂњFlower DuetвЂќ is utterly transporting. In Act I, early on, LakmГ© and her servant, Mallika, go down to the waterвЂ™s edge and sing a duet as they bathe and collect flowers. The opera, inspired by Pierre LotiвЂ™s novel, Le Mariage de Loti, is set in 19 th century British-ruled India and revolves around LakmГ©, the daughter of a Brahmin priest. IвЂ™ve been aware of the beautiful aria from the British Airways and Ghirardelli chocolate commercials in that I-know-it-but-not-its-name-or-its-composer way, but I didnвЂ™t figure out until recently that itвЂ™s taken from DelibesвЂ™ 1883 opera, LakmГ©. Initially, I only knew composer LГ©o Delibes for his ballet scores, the 1870 CoppГ©lia and his 1876 Sylvia.

Flower duet