One of the “grandest” of the grand operas that hasn’t been seen at the Met since 1915 is the feature of this week’s Sunday Opera (4/2 3:00 p.m.). It’s Giacomo Meyerbeer’s 1836 work, “Les Huguenots.”
The libretto by Eugen Scribe and Emile Deschamps fictionalizes the events leading to the horrific St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre where an estimated 3,000 Protestants were killed by Catholic mobs in Paris and up to 70,000 throughout France because of the bloodlust that followed an edict of King Charles IX which sought to quell a non-existent uprising by the Huguenots (Protestants).
Here, Valentine (Martina Arroyo) who is the daughter of a Catholic count (Gabriel Bacquier) has been asked to break her engagement to another Catholic count (Dominic Cossa) so that she can marry a prominent Protestant, Raoul (Anastasios Vrenios). This was requested by Queen Marguerite de Valois (Joan Sutherland) to try to help ease the tensions between the two religious groups.
However, because of a misunderstanding compounded by the religious hostilities of France at the time, the events continually worsen as they head towards the tragic events of August 24, 1572.
In this recording from 1970, you’ll also hear John Wakefield, Huguette Tourangeau, Nicola Ghiuselev, Glynne Thomas, Alan Opie, Janet Coser, John Noble, Joseph Ward, John Gibbs, and a young Kiri te Kanawa at the beginning of her career among others.
The conductor here is Richard Bonynge, and he’s leading The New Philharmonia Orchestra and The Ambrosian Opera Chorus.
The opera isn’t done that often because of the demands of the piece. It requires seven incredibly strong singers, and the role of Raoul is a real test of endurance since he is almost continually on stage for over three hours and the music lies at the top of the tenor voice range throughout.
Meyerbeer is said to be the “link” between Mozart and Wagner, but link or not, he wrote incredibly lush, romantic, and emotive music, and this is an opera that really does need to be heard.