Meyerbeer's "African Maid"

Synopsis

On today's date in 1865, the hottest ticket in Paris was for the premiere of Giacomo Meyerbeer's long-awaited grand opera "L'Africaine," or "The African Maid," at the Paris Opera. And when I say "long-awaited," I mean long-awaited. Meyerbeer had begun work on "L'Africaine" some 25 years earlier. It had become something of a standing joke in the French press to rib Meyerbeer about the "imminent" completion of this long-standing project.

There was no shortage of reasons for the delay. Meyerbeer was a slow-worker, a perfectionist; he was sidelined by ill-health, he was waiting for better singers, more sympathetic management at the Opera, etc. etc. etc.

Many opera fans back then must have all but given up hope that Meyerbeer would ever finish "L'Africaine" when he finally did just that, and the work was slotted for production at the Paris Opera. At that point, as luck would have it, Meyerbeer died, and his widow entrusted another composer to supervise the rehearsals for the premiere on today's date in 1865.

Meyerbeer's grand operas were the 19th century equivalent of the movies of Cecil B. DeMille. Both Meyerbeer and DeMille favored sweeping historical costume epics, lots of extras, and a tragic love story. "L'Africaine" was no exception: the hero is the explorer Vasco da Gama, and one of the opera's more spectacular scenic effects involved a Portuguese ship running aground on an exotic reef and being taken over by a swarm of natives.

Music Played in Today's Program

Giacomo Meyerbeer (1791 – 1864) O paradis, from L'Africaine Ben Heppner, tenor; London Symphony; Myung-Whun Chung, cond. DG 471 372

On This Day

Births

• 1892 - American folksinger and folksong collector John Jacob Niles, in Louisville, Ky.;

Premieres

• 1865 - Meyerbeer: opera "L'Africaine" (The African Woman), at the Paris Opéra;

• 1892 - Dvorák: "In Nature's Realm" Overture, Op. 91, in Prague;

• 1892 - Sibelius: symphonic poem/oratorio "Kullervo" for vocal soloists, chorus and orchestra, in Helsinki, with the composer conducting;

• 1928 - Cowell: "Sinfonietta," in Boston, Nicholas Slonimsky conducting;

• 1938 - Diamond: "Elegy in Memory of Maurice Ravel," in Rochester, N.Y.

• 1948 - Stravinsky: ballet "Orpheus," by the American Society in New York City;

• 1966 - Douglas Moore: opera "Carrie Nation," in Lawrence, Kan.;

• 1981 - John Williams: "Pops on the March" by the Boston Pops with the composer conducting.

• 2005 - Arne Nordheim: “Fonos” for trombone and orchestra, in Bergen, Norway, by the Bergen Philharmonic.