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vinyl LP front cover
cover photo by
photo of album cover by Styrous®
Yesterday was the birthday of composer, Giacomo Meyerbeer, a German opera composer, "the most frequently performed opera composer during the nineteenth century, "linking Mozart and Wagner", so it is said.
Meyerbeer was born on September 5, 1791, in Tasdorf (now a part of Rüdersdorf), near Berlin, then the capital of Prussia. His father was the wealthy financier Judah Herz Beer (1769–1825) and his mother, Amalia (Malka) Wulff (1767–1854), also came from the moneyed elite. Their other children included the astronomer Wilhelm Beer and the poet Michael Beer.
He was to adopt the surname Meyerbeer on the death of his grandfather
Liebmann Meyer Wulff (1811) and italianize his first name to Giacomo
during his period of study in Italy, around 1817.
As Huguenots gained influence in France and more openly displayed their faith, Catholic hostility grew. A series of religious conflicts followed, known as the French Wars of Religion, fought intermittently from 1562 to 1598. Louis XIV, gradually increased persecution of Protestantism; the destruction of Huguenot churches and the closure of Huguenot schools until he issued the Edict of Fontainebleau (1685). This ended legal recognition of Protestantism in France and the Huguenots were forced to either convert to Catholicism or flee as refugees and they were subject to violent dragonnades.
On August 23, 1572, the eve of the Feast of Saint Bartholomew the Apostle, the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre occurred in Paris. Lasting several weeks in all, the massacre expanded outward to the
countryside and other urban centers. Modern estimates for the number of
dead across France vary from 5,000 to 30,000.
St. Bartholomew's Day massacre - August 23, 1572
Painting by François Dubois
The story of Les Huguenots ends with this massacre. George Sand
at first refused to attend a performance of the opera, saying that she
did not want to watch Catholics and Protestants slit each other's
throats to music written by a Jew. However, she did, was overwhelmed and wrote to Meyerbeer that "Though you are a musician, you are more a poet than any of us!"
Les Huguenots is one of the most popular and spectacular examples of grand opera. In five acts, to a libretto by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps, it premiered in Paris on February 29, 1836.
The love duet, Tu m'aimes, from act four is the highlight of the opera. The tenor role is a real bitch with incredibly high notes to be reached! Same goes for the soprano role as well. This recording came with a very simple libretto.
Tracklist:
Side 1:
Side 1:
A1 - Act I: Overture
A2 - Entré de Raoul (Guy Fouché - Tenor)
A3 - Intermede Symphonique: L'Orgie
A4 - Récit et Romance (Guy Fouché - Tenor)
A5 - Choral de Luther (Henri Médus - Bass)
A6 - Chanson Huguenote: "Piff, Paff" (Henri Médus - Bass)
A7 - Cavatine du Page (Simone Couderc - Mezzo-soprano)
A2 - Entré de Raoul (Guy Fouché - Tenor)
A3 - Intermede Symphonique: L'Orgie
A4 - Récit et Romance (Guy Fouché - Tenor)
A5 - Choral de Luther (Henri Médus - Bass)
A6 - Chanson Huguenote: "Piff, Paff" (Henri Médus - Bass)
A7 - Cavatine du Page (Simone Couderc - Mezzo-soprano)
Side 2:
B1 - Act II: Entr'acte et Air de la Reine
B2 - Duo: Marguerite - Raoul (Renée Doria - Soprano; Guy Fouché - Tenor)
B3 - Act III: Scene et Duo de Valentine - Marcel
Side 3:
Side 4:
D1 - Act IV: Grand Duo: Valentine - Raoul
Credits:
Baritone Vocals – Charles Cambon
Bass Vocals – Henri Médus
Choir – Académie Chorale De Paris
Conductor – Jean Allain
Flute [Solo] – André Sagnier
Mezzo-soprano Vocals – Simone Couderc
Musician [Alto Solo] – Pierre Cheval
Orchestra – Orchestre De L'Association Des Concerts Pasdeloup
Recorded By [Prise De Son Et Gravure] – André Charlin
Soprano Vocals – Jeanne Rinella, Renée Doria
Tenor Vocals – Guy Fouché
Words By – Christophe Deschamps
B2 - Duo: Marguerite - Raoul (Renée Doria - Soprano; Guy Fouché - Tenor)
B3 - Act III: Scene et Duo de Valentine - Marcel
Side 3:
C1 - Act III: Septuor du duel
C2 - Act IV: Conjuration et Bénédiction des Poignards
C2 - Act IV: Conjuration et Bénédiction des Poignards
Side 4:
D1 - Act IV: Grand Duo: Valentine - Raoul
Credits:
Baritone Vocals – Charles Cambon
Bass Vocals – Henri Médus
Choir – Académie Chorale De Paris
Conductor – Jean Allain
Flute [Solo] – André Sagnier
Mezzo-soprano Vocals – Simone Couderc
Musician [Alto Solo] – Pierre Cheval
Orchestra – Orchestre De L'Association Des Concerts Pasdeloup
Recorded By [Prise De Son Et Gravure] – André Charlin
Soprano Vocals – Jeanne Rinella, Renée Doria
Tenor Vocals – Guy Fouché
Words By – Christophe Deschamps
Meyerbeer*,
Jean Allain, Orchestre De L'Association Des Concerts Pasdeloup,
Académie Chorale De Paris, Renée Doria, Henri Médus, Jeanne Rinella,
Simone Couderc, Guy Fouché, Charles Cambon – Les Huguenots
Giacomo Meyerbeer - Les Huguenots album cover
Label: Westminster – OPW 1204
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released:
Genre: Classical
Style: Opera
Styrous® ~ Thursday, September 6, 2024
Giacomo Meyerbeer - Les Huguenots album cover
Label: Westminster – OPW 1204
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP
Country: US
Released:
Genre: Classical
Style: Opera
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
YouTube links:
Les Huguenots - (complete) (2 hrs., 54 mins.)
Les Huguenots - (trailer)
"an evangel of love"
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