Les Huguenots

Les Huguenots is French grand opera at its grandest, written at a time (in 1836) when Paris was the centre of the operatic world. Meyerbeer ruled over it and knew exactly what his audience wanted. Spectacle, extravagance and glamour were essential, and this sprawling semi-historical epic doesn’t hold back with its requirements for huge forces, seven lead roles (each of which demands a charismatic star) and an onstage military band—and all functioning within a busy plot that stretches through five acts. Set in the turmoil of religious conflicts between Protestants and Catholics in 16th-century France, it’s basically a Romeo and Juliet story of forbidden love across the boundaries of a war zone. The potentially unwieldy scale is handled with a flair for theatre and a structural genius that holds everything together. Act I has a focus on the women in the story, Act II on the men. Act III spotlights the orchestra and chorus. And Act IV has the best music, with the Consecration of the Daggers scene and following love duet “O ciel! Où courez-vous” ranking among the most effective things ever produced by Meyerbeer.