Meyerbeer: L'Africaine(1988)

Meyerbeer: L'Africaine Synopsis

This was a 1988 revival of a 1971 production that teamed Domingo (Vasco da Gama) and Verrett (Selika - both then very much in their prime) in Meyerbeer's discursive swan-song. Seventeen years on, they are more statuesque than sexy, but both give larger-than-life performances that contain moments of completely thrilling vocalism. The casting is very strong, with the exception of Justino Diaz's Nelusko, which has strong presence but not much vocal allure. As Inez, Vasco da Gama's fiancee and rival for Shirley Verrett, Ruth Ann Swneson sings with great beauty and has impressive stage presence, very much holding her own in the confrontation with Verrett in the last act. Domingo is refulgent of tone and dramatically convincing, and he and Verrett strike sparks. She really comes into her own in one of the most preposterous mad-scenes in all opera, where she is slowly poisoned by the scent of a giant tree, contriving to make this dramatically truthful and even moving.

Meyerbeer: L'Africaine (1988) is a music film directed by Brian Large, released on January 1, 1988 with a runtime of 3h 9m. It stars Plácido Domingo, Shirley Verrett, Ruth Ann Swenson and Justino Díaz. Viewers rate it 7.5 out of 10 across 2 ratings.