Opera

Meyerbeer's L'Africaine

Leo Muscato (stage director), Emmanuel Villaume (conductor) — With Jessica Pratt (Inès), Veronica Simeoni (Sélika), Gregory Kunde (Vasco da Gama) …

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Cast

Leo Muscato — Stage director

Alessandro Verazzi — Lighting

Carlos Tieppo — Costume designer

Massimo Checchetto — Set designer

Jessica Pratt — Inès

Veronica Simeoni — Sélika

Gregory Kunde — Vasco de Gama

Emanuele Giannino — Don Alvar

Angelo Veccia — Nélusko

Luca dall’Amico — Don Pédro

Davide Ruberti — Don Diego

Mattia Denti — Grand Inquisitor of Lisbon

Ruben Amoretti — High Priest of Brahma

Anna Bordignon — Anna

Orchestra e Coro del Teatro La Fenice

Emmanuel Villaume — Conductor

Program notes

Discover Meyerbeer's L'Africaine in Leo Muscato's production by La Fenice in Venice – one of the world's greatest opera houses.

A five-act opera composed by Giacomo Meyerbeer after Eugène Scribe's French libretto, L'Africaine has been influenced by the German harmony, the Italian melody but also showcases French features, such as the rhythm, the visual effects of the lyric tragedy and the sensational stories of the light opera

L'Africaine was premiered on the 28th of April 1865, one year after the composer's death. It was staged at the Paris Opera House and was critically acclaimed, both from the audience and from the press. The final of the first act, the first part of the baritone's aria "Fille des rois," the Indian March, the tenor's aria "Pays merveilleux" could have only been composed by a great musician.

Under the baton of Emmanuel Villaume – who conducted such prestigious orchestras as the Royal Philharmonic of London, the NHK Orchestra, the Chinese Orchestra (during the Olympic Games in 2008) – the orchestra of La Fenice accompanies Jessica Pratt, Veronica Simeoni and Gregory Kunde singing the parts of Inès, Sélika and Vasco de Gama. The Teatro La Fenice celebrates the 150th anniversary of Giacomo Meyerbeer's death and offers the perfect opportunity to rediscover the composer's masterpiece in Leo Muscato's spectacular staging.

© Picture: Michele Crosera

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