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Notes and Editorial Reviews
The composer we now know as Giacomo Meyerbeer was born Jakob Liebmann Beer in Berlin in 1796. After receiving a sizable legacy from a relative named Meyer, he converted his name to Meyerbeer. Wildly prolific, Meyerbeer was originally a Rossini disciple and wrote six Italian operas before shifting his attention elsewhere. Meyerbeer moved to Paris, absorbed French culture and became one of the great composers of French grand opera. His operas 'Robert le Diable' and 'Les Huguenots' set the standard for the large-scale French five act opera, a form much maligned by Richard Wagner.
Meyerbeer's operas are grandiose and only work when a first rate cast is assembled. This live recording of 'Le Prophète' is taken from a 1970 Turin performance and
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delivers the goods with a golden age cast that includes tenor Nicolai Gedda, mezzo-soprano Marilyn Horne and soprano Margherita Rinaldi. Gedda is superb in the title role and sings with elegance and, when needed, heroic power. Horne is at her vocal peak, singing with melting tenderness and dramatic savvy. Conductor Henry Lewis captures all the grandeur of the work, especially in the famous Coronation March, Meyerbeer's most famous work. Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Le Prophète by Giacomo Meyerbeer
Performer:
Margherita Rinaldi (Soprano),
Marilyn Horne (Mezzo Soprano),
Nicolai Gedda (Tenor),
Robert Amis El Hage (Bass),
Alfredo Giacomotti (Bass),
Boris Carmeli (Bass),
Fritz Peter (Tenor)
Conductor:
Henry Lewis
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Italian Radio Symphony Orchestra Turin,
Italian Radio Chorus Turin
Period: Romantic
Written: 1849; Germany
Date of Recording: 07/11/1970
Venue: Live RAI Studios, Turin, Italy
Length: 201 Minutes 41 Secs.
Language: French
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Review: 
( 2 Customer Reviews )
great singing. bad burn May 23, 2015
By Gregory Lorenz (New York, NY) See All My Reviews
"I have heard excerpts for this recording over the years and desired it greatly. The singing by Horne and Gedda is what any young singer should model. Unfortunately, Arkiv didn't take the same care in burning the CD and the there are skips throughout the recording."
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Bel Canto fan July 14, 2012
By Perry S. (New Plymouth, -) See All My Reviews
"Opera D'oro recordings range from good to very poor and fortunately, this opera is one of their good ones.
From Torino in 1970, the age is not obvious in the music and voices. The sound is good.
Marilyn Horne and Nicolai Gedda are both in good voice and the rest of the cast are perfectly satisfactory, without being star quality.
It is not an opera which I knew and there is little choice, so this has been a fortunate bargain and as such is to be recommended.
"
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