The "Flower Duet" (French: Duo des fleurs / Sous le dôme épais) is a famous duet for sopranos from Léo Delibes' opera Lakmé, first performed in Paris in 1883. The duet takes place in act 1 of the three-act opera, between characters Lakmé, the daughter of a Brahmin priest, and her servant Mallika, as they go to gather flowers by a river.
The duet is frequently used in advertisements and films and is popular as a concert piece. It was adapted for the track "Aria" in the British Airways "face" advertisements of the 1980s by Yanni and Malcolm McLaren.
Music
The duet's time signature is 6
8; its key is B major, except for the part "Mais, je ne sais" until "le lotus bleus," which is in G major. That part has a slightly faster tempo (=160) than the surrounding lines (=144). The final reprise is in the original key and tempo. A performance takes about six minutes.