Léo Delibes’s opera featuring the famous “Flower Duet” is Lakmé.
Lakmé premiered at the Opéra-Comique in Paris on 14 April 1883. The libretto, by Edmond Gondinet and Philippe Gille, was inspired by Pierre Loti’s novel Rarahu, which is set in British India. The story centers on Lakmé, the daughter of a Hindu priest, and her love for the British officer Gérald.
The “Flower Duet,” formally “Sous le dôme épais,” is sung by Lakmé and her servant Mallika as they gather flowers beside a river. Its flowing melody has made it one of the most recognizable excerpts from French opera and a frequent choice for concerts, advertisements, and film soundtracks.
Lakmé is sometimes confused with Delibes’s ballet Coppélia, but the two works are unrelated apart from sharing the same composer. Another famous excerpt from Lakmé is the coloratura aria “The Bell Song,” sung by the title character in Act II.