Giacomo Meyerbeer - Les Huguenots - "O beau pays" (Joan Sutherland)

[cogidubnus1953]

Stunning...

[FreeVonHelton]

Wagner may be right after all.

[MrAlpixoid]

both of the top comments have 10 likes.

[maestrograham]

I am so looking to the new production at La Monnaie in June. Coming all the way from South Africa to see it and other productions around Europe.

[bayreuth79]

There is nothing worse than this kind of "operatic" twittering! The only serious composer for the stage was Richard Wagner.

[petelovesbevsills]

@bayreuth79 Was he the nice man that took all of the fun, laughter and joy out of opera? He was a real charmer especially as he insisted that his audience listen to his music in the dark. Viva twittering!

[Herur22]

A stunning performance.

[paulostroff99]

Awesome! TY Cyril for this great posting and James for sharing.

[CanadaPisces]

A musical gem! Thank you Cyril for the posting!

[OLIVCHEN77]

Heaven has a new angel

[pengwafu]

May she rest in peace. :(

[muatlas]

I love the two Marguerite roles of French opera. This Marguerite was Sutherland's best role. Meyerbeer's music and Sutherland's voice are made for one another.

[andreaprodan]

Apparently Sutherland was actually DATING Meyerbeer when he composed this. I don't know if that's a fallacy, but it's been on the grapevine for quite some time.

[gspaulsson]

@andreaprodan you're joking, right? Meyerbeer died in 1864.

[juljafavorite]

Ella - simplemente la perfección

[ChaudeB]

my godness, this is perfect!!!! throw all netrebkos and machaidzes away!!!

[luiscar89]

That's it... I completely agree with you. Finally someone dared to say it. Bravo ChaudeB... Brava Joan... è'stata la meglio Margherita di Valois. We should throw all those boring bitches away... I'm so sick of these new opera singers.... Brava Joan!!!

[ryker25]

LindoroRossini - thanks for posting this. I was for a long time a fan of another version posted by chessoperaspirit, but I must say I have a new favourite now.

[AulicExclusiva]

This is the usual cut-to-shreds version which consists basically of the dacapo of the aria (cutting the first verse and the whole middle section) then jumping straight into the cabaletta without the beautiful intermediary trio which Queen Margot sings with her ladies-in-waiting.

The complete scene takes about 15 minutes and Sutherland performed it complete only once: in her complete studio recording of the opera, made in 1968.

[RossiniSoprano]

@AulicExclusiva Has anyone posted the complete version?

[alfemv76]

Algo mas que perfecto!!; extraordinaria como siempre!!

[DONHENARO3225]

ВЕЛИКОЛЕПНО!!!!!!!!!!!

[LLehmannfan]

Meyerbeer (especially Marguerite de Valois) and the voice of Dame Joan are for me the ultimative combination for coloratura in opera!

[Hako2004]

I adore Meyerbeer....so under-rated and often over-looked.

[paulostroff99]

@Hako2004 -Meyerbeer helped Wagner musically and financially.Later he (Wagner) repaid Meyerbeer for this kindness by subjecting him to ongoing verbal public abuse.This was done owing to Meyerbeer being a practicing Jew. All and more evil and ungratefulness attributable to Wagner and his anti semitism was true,and to a large degree him being l.His Samson and Delilah is indeed gorgeous ,and he indeed was a great composer.Those were the bad old days when Jews were forced to change their religion

[MaestroTJS]

@paulostroff99 That is a very simplistic explanation for Wagner's hatred of Meyerbeer. It goes far deeper than him simply being Jewish. (Wagner had Jewish friends like Hermann Levi.) Wagner may have been jealous of M's ENORMOUS success and wealth because he felt the music was so bad and cynically written (i.e., for the purpose of making money). It smacks more of the usual "true artist" despising the charlatan and the success the charlatan achieves and what the charlatan represents.

[eclecticdufus]

@MaestroTJS There's an early letter Wagner wrote about going to Italy and then France and having great success in both countries suggesting that Wagner would have liked to have the kind of career Meyerbeer had and was indeed jealous. Wagner did have good things to say about Halevy. But even Wagner admired Act 4 of Huguenots as did Verdi. One of the greatest acts in 19th century opera.

[paulostroff99]

@Hako2004 -A terrible error on my part which I wish to address.It was of course Saint-Saens that wrote Samson and Delilah and not Meyerbeer.Meyerbeer did write a number of other fine operas most of which I named on another page where I believe his overture was listed.

[Meyerbeer1]

Ah! Meyerbeer, my star in opera!

[andreaprodan]

@Meyerbeer1

I agree. And my other favourite beer is a cool Foster's Australian Cool Kanga ale, but sipped through a plastique straw.