Stockholm Le Prophete

This page now includes our original announcement for Le Prophète from 1999, and the remarks of Mathias Clason, Producer, of June 10, 2000, reprinted from the Limited Edition CD recording, available from Meyerbeer Fan Club (added September 1, 2000). The review of this Le Prophète by Matthias Brzoska can be read here.

The Prophet by Giacomo Meyerbeer

June 3, 5 and 6, 1999 -- Stockholm

Hitler and Wagner hated it-now you have a chance to judge for yourself!

One of the true masterpieces of French opera, le prophète has since 1849 conveyed its dark and violent tale about the prize for religious and political fanaticism. Dramatically as well as musically, Le Prophète is without doubt a forebearer as well as an inspirer to works such as Verdi´s Trovatore and Aida. The final apocalypse bears hints of Wagner´s Götterdämmerung ending the composer would never admit....le prophète conquered opera houses and audiences around the world until Hitler´s Machtübernam in Germany 1933.

It was immediately banned by the Führer- perhaps for its sharp and convincing depiction of the outcomes of political demagoguery, and seduction of the masses?

On top of this, the composer was a Jew, and a very successful one too. Operaverket now aims at presenting Meyerbeer’s great work in the 1888 red-and-gold gem of Vasateatern, in a spirit of musicology come alive-in search of music once heard!

Operaverket and Orkestern Filialen are proud to offer three unique occasions, celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Paris Opera première April 16th, 1849, of Meyerbeer and Scribe´s Grand Opéra le prophète, not seen in Stockholm since 1912.

Heading a cast of Swedish top singers as Jean is French tenor Jean-Pierre Furlan, seen recently as Hoffmann in Hamburg, Pollione in Toronto and Faust at La Scala.

The vital role of Fidès, probably the most taxing vocal challenge ever for a mezzo, is shared by Ulrika Tenstam and Ingrid Tobiasson(June 6), reigning queens of bel canto coloratura at the Gothenburg and Stockholm Operas, respectively. Praised in 1997 as Lucia (to Furlan´s Edgardo), dramatic coloratura Christina Knochenhauer will add Berthe, fiancée of Jean, to her list of 19th century soprano heroines. Treat yourself to Meyerbeer´s lavishly rhytmic, rich and in the best sense operatic score, and Scribe´s fascinating drama. You won’t get another chance this century to see it on the stage!

Le Prophète

grand opéra from 1849 by Giacomo Meyerbeer to a text by eugène scribe

- New edition by Ricordi in a condensed 3 hour version, sung in french-

Jean of Leyden -Jean-Pierre Furlán

Fidès, mother of Jean - Ulrika Tenstam/Ingrid Tobiasson

Berthe, Jean´s fiancée - Christina Knochenhauer

Count Oberthal - Tord Wallström

Zacharie, anabaptist - Stig Tysklind

Mathisen, Anabaptist - Fredrik Zetterström

Jonas, Anabaptist - Torbjörn Lillieqvist

Conductor: - Gunnar Staern

Costume and set design: - Mathias Clason

Condensed, produced, - Sofia Nyblom

and directed by: & Mathias Clason

Operaverket AB

tickets at the royal opera box office from April 26 at +46.8.24 82 40 group bookings open now at 23 05 30. ticket prices: 270/170 kronor(SEK)

for international information please fax +46.8.97 88 71

opens June 3 at 20.00. also June 5th and 6th.

Review of June, 1999 Stockholm Le Prophète by Prof. Dr. Matthias Brzoska, editor of the new edition (October 30, 1999)

Le Prophète in Stockholm, June, 1999

The recording (limited copies exclusively available from MFC)

By Mathias Clason, Producer

Vive Le Prophète!

You are now holding in your hand a unique document of operatic history: 143 minutes of acts 1, 2, 4 and 5 in the new Urfassung of Meyerbeer’s Le Prophète as it was composed (but never performed) for the Paris Opera in 1849. You may not get the sound of, say, the Paris or Berlin Opera performances, but rather something different and perhaps much rarer: the sound of the majority of Meyerbeer performances a hundred years ago. These took place at mid-sized to small houses - like Stockholm, Copenhagen, Brno and New Orleans. At the Stockholm premiere the orchestra counted a mere 40, and this was at the Royal Opera House. The gigantic orchestras of Wagner and Strauss had not yet emerged, and the piece was written for about 65 musicians, the stage band for the coronation scene not included.

What you get, however, is - and I dare proudly say this - singers of world rank. In every small part a major singer topped by a principal trio ideal for the French idiom and capable of the virtuoso demands made by Meyerbeer.

As Berthe, Christina Knochenhauer lends the same qualities of a feverish girl that made her Lucia unforgettably gripping and with which she has also successfully interpreted the (slightly less mad) coloratura heroines of Bellini’s I Puritani and La Sonnambula.

Jean-Pierre Furlan, right off the title role in the new edition of Offenbach’s Hoffmann in Hamburg, and one of the French tenors most in demand internationally right now (e.g. Faust at La Scala!), agreed "for auld lang syne" to learn the fierce role of Jean for just these three performances. This was a personal favour to our newly started endeavour, and getting his Meyerbeer debut is certainly an honour for us. Thanks to Mr Furlan we can now hear music cut out before the 1849 Paris premiere, thus never sung in public before. These cuts were made due to the ceaseless insistence of Mrs Duprez! Mr Furlan will, by the way, in a few years add Raoul of "Les Hugenots" to his calling card, pleasing audiences in Liège and Rome.

Last and absolutely foremost, the recording documents the absolutely breathtaking Fidès of Ingrid Tobiasson, a true dramatic mezzo-soprano, crowning a career already crammed with great roles; from her Amneris debut in 1985 to Donizetti’s Elisabetta, Wagner’s Ortrud, Bellini’s Adalgisa and Strauss’ Klytamnestra, to mention but a few. This mother of all operatic mother-roles calls for seamless legato, great pathos and a range of two and a half octaves, as well as probably the most taxing coloratura written for the mezzo voice. All of this is there, and critics, musicologists and all of us mere mortals witnessed an Olympic achievement of first rank, one that would have made possible a one-role world career had it occurred during the second half of the nineteenth century. Mrs Tobiasson here delivers almost the whole role! Fidès does not take part in the third act that was completely cut. Please also note that the coronation scene in the fourth act (with 11-part singing and double children’s choruses and organ) is strongly reduced, however retaining the crucial encounter when the newly crowned Jean denies his mother Fidès, a true cliff-hanger of operatic dramaturgy by Master Scribe!

The grandiose fifth act is, however, almost intact, apart from chorus cuts in the final bacchanal. In this tour de force act (where no one can avoid hearing where Verdi found inspiration for the parts of Azucena and Manrico), Ingrid Tobiasson sings the complete version of "O Prêtres de Baal". This portion was not even sung by Pauline Viardot, thus meaning a world premiere with orchestra 150 years later...and she always sings the highest options! (No cheating as with famous singers in Vienna 1998....)

As the founder of Operaverket and initiator of the Prophète project, which went from idea to full performance in little over five months, I first want to thank my wife and co-warrior Sofia Nyblom, whose endless abilities, not least in music, reading French and writing grant-applications, made this project possible! Together we also send endless gratitude to Maestro Gunnar Staern for his skilful unceasing energy, countless hours spent on reduction of the orchestral parts and rehearsing with the ensemble. We also thank the Filialen Orchestra, a just-for-fun orchestra, which combines amateurs with professionals and music students in the love of music. They tackled Meyerbeer’s immensely complex orchestration as their first-time-ever opera project with much too short a rehearsal-time.

Without a shadow of profit in sight, Ricordi München reprinted the Urfassung especially for us, in line with the great enthusiasm and support from its editor Professor Mattias Brzoska and Ricordi’s Dr Reinholdt Quandt, who also gave us permission to reproduce these 100 CD’s as a limited edition document of the (already cult!) event. We also thank all the artists for their great achievements and giving their consent to this recording.

Dear Listener: Listen to our labour of love from three memorable nights in June last year, and may our Prophet spread his opera Gospel around the globe - and hopefully inspire other parishes….

Vive le Prophète! Stockholm June 10, 2000

Mathias Clason, stage designer, teacher of stage history and researcher of French 19th century opera.