Opera on 3

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Music: Classical: Opera

Programme presenting rare and fascinating operatic performances

Programme presenting rare and fascinating performances and vividly communicating the immediacy of the live experience

Opera on 3: Meyerbeer Les Huguenots

Meyerbeer Les Huguenots

BBC Radio 3 - Opera on 3, Meyerbeer Les Huguenots

The Opera Bastille perform Meyerbeer's 'Les Huguenots', a sequel to 'Robert le Diable'.

The Opera Bastille perform Meyerbeer's 'Les Huguenots',  a no expenses spared, high octane sequel to 'Robert le Diable'.

'Fairground farce' : Robert Schumann

Martin Handley presents this performance from the Opera Bastille in Paris - home of Grand Opera - with expert Sarah Hibberd.  Robert Schumann's criticism came from Meyerbeer's use of the Lutheran chorale 'Eine feste burg' to associate with the Huguenot characters in the opera, but it certainly didn't put Paris audiences off, racking up 1,000 performances by the end of the century.  

Les Huguenots was a no expenses spared high octane sequel to 'Robert le Diable'  Meyerbeer's huge success from five years before in 1831.  Indeed this was a return of the dream team - Robert le Diable had made the reputations not only of Meyerbeer, but Librettist Eugene Scribe and Louis-Désiré Véron, the director of the Paris Opera.  

This time the top team were back after five years of preparation and 'Les Huguenots' promised an epic Melodrama set against the historical backdrop of the St.Bartholemew's Day Massacre, in which French Protestants were murdered in huge numbers by their Catholic countrymen.  Five Acts, good tunes, a huge cast and lavish settings it had all the signs of success before the curtain even opened for Act One. 


Meyerbeer
Les Huguenots

Marguerite de Valois ..... Lisette Oropesa (soprano)
Raoul de Nangis, a Huguenot gentleman ..... Yosep Kang (tenor)
Valentine, daughter of the Count of Saint-Bris ..... Ermonela Jaho (soprano)
Urbain, Marguerite's page ..... Karine Deshayes (soprano)
Count of Saint-Bris ...... Paul Gay (bass) 
Marcel, Raoul's servant ..... Nicolas Testé (bass) 
Maid of honour ..... Julie Robard-Gendre (soprano)
Cossé / Catholic student ...... François Rougier (tenor)
Count of Nevers ..... Florian Sempey (baritone) 
Tavannes / First Monk ..... Cyrille Dubois (tenor) 
Méru / Second Monk ..... Michal Partyka (baritone) 
Thoré / Maurevert ..... Patrick Bolleire (bass) 
de Retz / Third Monk ..... Tomislav Lavoie (baritone) 
Coryphée / Young Catholic woman / Bohemian ..... Élodie Hache (soprano) 
Bois-Rosé / Servant ..... Philippe Do (tenor) 
Archer of the watch ..... Olivier Ayault (bass) 
First Noble ..... John Bernard (tenor) 
Second Noble ..... Cyrille Lovighi (tenor) 
Third Noble ..... Bernard Arrieta (bass) 
Fourth Noble ..... Fabio Bellenghi (bass)
 
Paris National Opera Chorus
Paris Opera Orchestra

Michele Mariotti, conductor

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