Meyerbeer: Le Prophete

Description

This recording of Myerbeer's extravagant Le Prophete was taken in London by CBS in 1976. Henry Lewis is the conductor here, and he leads an outstanding cast including Renata Scotto, James McCracken, and Marilyn Horne. The five-act opera with French libretto by Eugene Scribe first premiered in 1849 at the Salle Le Peletier by the Paris Opera. Despite this opera's success in the 19th and early 20th centuries, there have only been a few notable productions since WWII, this recording being one. Gramophone wrote of Marilyn Horne's performance as Fides: "The role calls for Brunnhilde range with an Amneris-type voice: the vocal flexibility and dramatic punch needed are extraordinary. Miss Horne has them all, and she brings out the pathos of the part without sentimentalizing it... The RPO pay much attention to Myerbeer's highly piquant, often quirky orchestration."