Travel tips for opera lovers – Paris and Giacomo Meyerbeer

Today, the name Meyerbeer is known only to the initiated in the art of opera. Yet for two decades he was the dominator of the “Grand Opéra” in Paris, the most important opera in the world at that time. His work “Robert le diable” (1831) was one of the founders of the Grand Opéra, which staged 5-act operas at gigantic expense. All the great composers composed for the Salle Peletier (burned down in 1873). The German-born composer came to Paris in 1824 at the age of 33 and wrote 4 works for the Opéra in collaboration with the librettist Eugène Scribe (in addition “L’africaine”, “Les Huguenots”, “Le prophète”). In the second half of his life he divided his time between Berlin and Paris.

Meyerbeer is known today mainly because of Richard Wagner, who tried unsuccessfully to place his opera “Rienzi” at the Opéra in Paris and turned to Meyerbeer. The latter put in a good word for Wagner (without success) and generously supported him financially. Wagner repaid him with vile slander and anti-Semitism in his various writings.