Most people know Georges Bizet only for his "Carmen," one of the most popular operas ever composed.

For the first time in 25 years — during which there have been four "Carmen" productions — Hawaii Opera Theatre is performing one of Bizet’s "other" operas, "The Pearl Fishers."

"Pearl Fishers" is an early work — composed when Bizet was only 25 — and its librettists, Carre and Cormon, quite frankly could have done a better job. Still, it is a charming work when performed well, and it has the same atmospheric painting and tunefulness that audiences love in "Carmen."

The title "Pearl Fishers" is really more about the opera’s exotic setting than its storyline, which revolves around a love triangle involving two friends and a woman. It is an intimate story with only five characters, all typecast by voice: Leila, the soprano, a beautiful high priestess passionately loved by two men; Nadir, the tenor, who of course gets the girl and has been best friends since childhood with the baritone, Zurga, who is elected king of the pearl fishers in the first scene; Nourabad, the bass, the high priest accompanying Leila; and the Chorus, a major character in this, as in many French operas.

There are several wonderful arias in "Pearl Fishers," but in a paean to friendship, Bizet gave the baritone and tenor the opera’s best love duet, the famous Act I "Au fond du temple saint" ("In the Depths of the Temple"), which received an extended ovation on opening night.

The plot of "The Pearl Fishers" revolves around the baritone, the only character who grows and changes, but it is the tenor and soprano who literally and figuratively run away with the focus. Among other problems, that tug-of-war between focal points — leading character and lovers — caused Bizet no end of struggles and yielded a variety of endings. Part of the fun is to see which ending the director has chosen — and no, this review won’t give anything away.

For its scenes to work, "The Pearl Fishers" needs good staging, and HOT’s production has that in spades.

Director Karen Tiller minimized the libretto’s weaknesses and brought its scenes to life with vivid, fluid staging. Scenes unfolded smoothly, and she arrayed the Chorus especially well, further highlighting its role.

Designer Peter Dean Beck conjured the story’s exotic setting in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) with a single set framed in giant bamboo, temple domes and a sun/moon backdrop, using minimal alterations to convey different scenes. The dramatic lighting — blood-red sunsets, blue-black nights, lightning flashes — was fun to watch, but Beck’s most interesting touches were subtle: the patterns of light and shadow cast onto Zurga’s bedroom floor, for example.

The cast members, most in their HOT debuts, were uniformly strong, their timbres and styles capturing their roles. Baritone Jerett Gieseler (Zurga) had an appealingly rich tone that identified him as The Good Guy, while tenor Vale Rideout (Nadir) had the tonal brilliance and power to steal the girl and the spotlight. Rideout was especially noteworthy. Leila belonged to Nadir the moment soprano Sari Gruber started singing, her power and clarity an obvious match with the tenor’s. The exceptionally tall and imposing bass, Matthew Boehler (Nourabad), made an excellent stern priest, dark in timbre and demeanor.

HOT’s chorus, co-directed by Beebe Freitas and Nola Nahulu, delivered delightful scenes one after another throughout the performance. Overall, its sound and balance was excellent, and its acting was fully engaged, even when not singing.

In keeping with another long tradition in French opera, HOT included frequent ballets, choreographed by Minou Lallemand and danced by six dancers who added much to Bizet’s atmosphere-setting passages.

The orchestra had a warm, transparent sound under conductor Julian Wachner and contributed exciting solos, especially those by flute, harp, cello, oboe and clarinet. The orchestra occasionally overwhelmed the singers, but Wachner’s pacing was excellent for both singers and storyline. His balance made it easy to hear the singers and orchestra as a single melded soundscape, which is especially important for French opera.

Bizet’s "Pearl Fishers" has its quirks, but HOT’s production is excellent — and it may be the last chance to see it live for another quarter-century.

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Ruth O. Bingham received her doctorate in musicology from Cornell University and has been reviewing the musical arts for more than 20 years.