LE PROPHÈTE

Unbeknownst to him, this genius encapsulates in his works the feeling of the times in which he works, and says the word that everyone else whispers.

Théophile Gautier on Meyerbeer's Le Prophète

This is a true story: during the French Wars of Religion, a charismatic innkeeper manipulated by a religious sect finds himself crowned Emperor of Germany and placed at the head of a puppet kingdom of depraved fanatics, before being killed. Add to this a bride who is a real fighter, and the most formidable mother figure ever shown on an operatic stage. Le Prophète is the quintessential grand opera, a spectacular large-scale genre that made the Paris Opera the leading stage in Europe, and Meyerbeer a composer admired and envied by the greatest. This visionary historical drama, with its unique theatrical and vocal power and musical inventiveness, succeeds like no other in capturing the spirit of its time – which is very similar to our own. For the occasion, the best singers – John Osborn, Elizabeth DeShong and Mané Galoyan – and exceptional orchestral and vocal forces will perform under the expert baton of Sir Mark Elder.

_{This concert is recorded for the LSO Live in collaboration with Palazzetto Bru Zane – Centre de musique romantique française.}