Meyerbeer: Le Prophète

[Mark Thomas]

I completely agree and that's why it's a mandatory purchase for me too.

[Alan Howe]

This is a very good recording - but to get to the best bits, there's an awful lot of dross to wade through. Meyerbeer was a hugely important composer, but it's hard not to conclude that his influence was greater than his actual achievement. Still, I supose I don't really know any of his operas well, so I'll have to keep listening...

By comparison, inexperienced though the composer was in things operatic, Raff's Samson is a much more enjoyable listening experience. How unjustly history has treated him! Now let's have his König Alfred, please...

[Mark Thomas]

I've really enjoyed this new Prophète recording, the performances are generally excellent, but the wide dynamic range means that, at least on my equipment, one has to opt for almost uncomfortably loud climaxes so that the rest of the work can be heard at a comfortable level. Purely by chance I'm just listening, yet again, to Raff's Samson (in chunks, in the car) and so the comparison Alan makes is also in my mind. For all it's length, Samson is by far the more focussed, subtle and dramatically concise piece - each act almost a believably "real-time" snapshot of events. I'm convinced that, had it been produced in the 1850s/60s with the cast Raff hoped for, it would have been recognised as a great work and quite transformed his career. All that said, for all Meyerbeer's showmanship and prolixity, I don't find any of his four great operas (to add Robert le Diable, Les Huguenots and L'Africaine) outstay their welcome. 

[Alan Howe]

I'm half way through CD2 and my attention's already wandering. Yes, there are exciting sections, but the poverty of the melodic writing is everywhere evident. Raff's a giant by comparison...

[eschiss1]

... after all that, Mark, I thought you were going to say that they -do- outstay their welcome

[Mark Thomas]

"All that"? Sorry, Eric. No, I think I recognise Meyerberr's limitations but, despite his melodies being short-winded and four-square, I'm a sucker for them, his imaginative orchestration and the excitement he usually whips up at the end of each act. But he's no Raff....

[Alan Howe]

Meyerbeer's a sort of clearing-house for the musical processes of other, greater composers.

[eschiss1]

No need to apologize . I am still, at middle-age, not very familiar with most of even the best-known mid(ish)-19th-century operas, but have intended to continue rectifying the lack for awhile now ever since finding, a few years ago, that yes, my tastes do extend in that direction after all...

[John Boyer]

I've had a weakness for this opera ever since high school, when the Coronation March was used as the processional for my graduation.  This was in the years before the Elgar P&C #1 was mandated by law.  (Indeed, it occurs to me that neither my father -- Mendelssohn Athalie -- nor my brothers -- both Verdi Aida -- had to settle for the Elgar.)  I remember the only disappointment in the celebrated Lewis recording for Columbia was his taking the march way too fast, as if it were Sousa.  But yes, a great album from the golden years of studio opera recordings. 

[eschiss1]

I see there hasn't been a new recording of another opera of his I might be very interested in (because of the Liszt organ work connection) in 11 years. Unfortunate, though I should look into those anyway.