Giacomo Meyerbeer
- born Jacob Liebmann Beer(1791 – 1864, German)
A German opera composer of Jewish birth, he was one of the most successful stage composer of the 19th century, and one of the richest man in Europe.
This inevitably provoked envious sniping from his less fortunate colleagues ... particularly Richard Wagner with his anti-Semitic pamphlet. [Teenager Adolf Hitler was one big fan of Wagner.]
His operas in the repertoire have been revived only occasionally over the past century.
Meyerbeer created French "grand opéra" for Opéra de Paris company
* merging of vast German orchestras with Italian vocal tradition
* employed sensational and melodramatic libretti created by Eugène Scribe
* enhanced by the up-to-date theatre technology of the Paris Opéra - e.g. huge stage sets, storms, ship sinking on stage, massive crowd scenes
They set a standard which helped to maintain Paris as the opera capital of the 19th century.
Robert le diable / Robert the Devil
Les Huguenots [lɛ.yɡˈno]
Le prophète / The Prophet
L'africaine / The African Woman
Robert le diable / Robert the Devil
* famous for its scandalous chorus of dancing nuns, it's evocative orchestration, and brilliant writing for voice
* this opera was the first product of a fruitful collaboration between Meyerbeer and librettist Eugène Scribe
* it tells the tale of the 13th-century Duke Robert of Normandy
Les Huguenots [lɛ.yɡˈno]
* tuneful, luscious, and inventive, it is probably Meyerbeer's finest opera for voices, displaying his melodic talents
* explores the intense religious conflict that erupted in a massacre on St Bartholomew's Day in 1572, when the Protestant minority of Huguenots were ruthlessly slaughtered by the Catholic majority
Le prophète / The Prophet
(L) Coronation March
(R) Finale
* one of Meyerbeer's most dramatic and bombastic operas
* famous for its stunning light effects and explosive finale
L'africaine / The African Woman
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