´óÏó´«Ã½

The passage of time has not been kind to Giacomo Meyerbeer. The most successful opera composer of his day, whose transformation of the medium helped to set the stage for Wagner, Verdi, Mussorgsky and a host of others, his work is now seldom performed. All this week, Donald Macleod explores the life and rediscovers the work of this king of Grand Opera, in conversation with one of the composer's leading advocates, Robert Letellier.
Born Jacob Liebmann Beer (the prefatory 'Meyer' was added on the death of his maternal grandfather, Liebmann Meyer Wulff), Meyerbeer's family background was super-rich and hyper-cultured, so there was no obstacle to the development of his precocious talents. In 1815, his good friend Carl Maria von Weber pronounced him "one of the best pianists, if not the best pianist of our time". His ambitions, however, lay not on the concert platform but on the operatic stage, and in 1816, after a decade of study, he left his native Berlin for Italy, where a short visit turned into a protracted stay - of eight years. Here, with Rossini in the ascendant, he learnt the craft of Italian opera during one of its most dynamic phases. Today's programme focuses on these apprentice years, from Meyerbeer's earliest compositional efforts as a student of the celebrated Abbé Vogler in Darmstadt, to his first international success with his farewell to Italian opera, Il crociato in Egitto.

'Udite or alto arcano', from Il crociato in Egitto, act 2 scene 20
Geoffrey Mitchell Choir (chorus master: Geoffrey Mitchell)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
David Parry (conductor)
OPERA RARA ORC10 CD 4 tk 5

6 canzonettes italiennes (1810) - nos 1, 3, 4 and 6
1. Sceglier fra mille un core
3. Giura il nocchier
4. Bei labbri che amore
6. Basta dir ch'io sono amante
Ning Liang (mezzo-soprano)
Ilmo Ranta (piano)
CPO 999 269-2 tks 6, 8, 9, 11

Quintet in E flat for clarinet, 2 violins, viola and cello (1812) - 3rd mvt (Rondo)
Dieter Klöcker (clarinet)
Philharmonia Quartet Berlin:
Daniel Stabrawa (violin 1)
Christian Stadelmann (violin 2)
Neithard Resa (viola),
Jan Diesselhorst (cello)
ORFEO C 213 901 A tk 1

Wirth und Gast (Alimalek) (1813) - overture
Württemberg Philharmonic Orchestra
Ola Rudner (conductor)
ARS PRODUKTION ARS 38 083 tk 3

Margherita d'Anjou (1820) - Act 1 scene 2 (opening) ('Miei fedeli!')
Annick Massis (Margherita)
Alastair Miles (Carlo)
Geoffrey Mitchell Choir
London Philharmonic Orchestra
David Parry (conductor)
OPERA RARA ORC25 CD 1 tks 3-4

Il crociato in Egitto (1824) - Act 2 scene 17 (concl.)-18 ('Suona funerea')
Bruce Ford (Adriano)
Ian Platt (Aladino)
Della Jones (Felicia)
Ugo Benelli (Osmino)
Geoffrey Mitchell Choir (chorus master: Geoffrey Mitchell)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
David Parry (conductor)
OPERA RARA ORC10 CD 3 tks 17-20

Producer: Chris Barstow.