The drawback lies in the oppressive weariness which succeeds the first trance, and is brought on by the monotonous character of the music.
After an hour of "Lakme" one yearns for a few crashing chords of C major as a person enduring suffocation longs for a gush of fresh air.
The music first grows monotonous, then wearies.

Delibes's lyrical moments show the most numerous indications of beauty; dramatic life and energy are absent from the score.

In the second act he moves his listeners only once--with the attempted repetition of the bell song after Lakme has recognized her lover.

The odor of the poppy invites to drowsy enjoyment in the beginning, and the first act is far and away the most gratifying in the opera, musically as well as scenically.

It would be so if it contained only Lakme's song "Pourquoi dans les grands bois," the exquisite barcarole--a veritable treasure trove for the composer, who used its melody dramatically throughout the work--and Gerald's air, "Fantaisie aux divins mensonges." Real depth will be looked for in vain in this opera; superficial loveliness is apparent on at least half its pages..