In the first half of the 19th century, Giacomo Meyerbeer was perhaps the world’s most successful opera composer, pioneering on-stage theatrics as he worked comfortably across European cultures.
Meyerbeer’s fame faded after his death in 1864. But as part of a revival, German soprano Diana Damrau has released a new album devoted entirely to arias, some obscure, by Meyerbeer.
Damrau, whose bursting yet lush and agile coloratura voice has increasingly made her a top attraction at opera houses around the world, said that a Meyerbeer album had long been a career goal.