"Robert le Diable" was produced at the Académie Royale in 1831, and
inaugurated the brilliant reign of Dr. Véron as manager. The bold
innovations, the powerful situations, the daring methods of the
composer, astonished and delighted Paris, and the work was performed
more than a hundred consecutive times. The history of "Robert le
Diable" is in some respects curious. It was originally written for the
Ventadour Theatre, devoted to comic opera; but the company were found
unable to sing the difficult music. Meyerbeer was inspired by Weber's
"Der Freischütz" to attempt a romantic, semi-fantastic legendary
opera, and trod very closely in the footsteps of his model. It was
determined to so alter the libretto and extend and elaborate the music
as to fit it for the stage of the Grand Opera. MM. Scribe and
Delavigne, the librettists, and Meyerbeer, devoted busy days and
nights to hurrying on the work. The whole opera was remodelled,
recitative substituted for dialogue, and one of the most important
characters, Raimbaud, cut out in the fourth and fifth acts--a
suppression which is claimed to have befogged a very clear and
intelligible plot. Highly suggestive in its present state of Weber's
opera, the opera of "Robert le Diable" is said to have been
marvellously similar to "Der Freischütz" in the original form, though
inferior in dignity of motive.
Paris was all agog with interest at the first production. The critics
had attended the rehearsals, and it was understood that the libretto,
the music, and the ballet were full of striking interest. Nourrit
played the part of Robert; Levasseur, Bertram; Mdme. Cinti Damoreau,
Isabelle; and Mdlle. Dorus, Alice. The greatest dancers of the age
were in the ballet, and the brilliant Taglioni led the band of
resuscitated nuns. Habeneck was conductor, and everything had been
done in the way of scenery and costumes. The success was a remarkable
one, and Meyerbeer's name became famous throughout Europe.
Dr. Véron, in his _Mémoires d'un Bourgeois de Paris_, describes a
thrilling yet ludicrous accident that occurred on the first night's
performance. After the admirable trio, which is the _dénoûment_ of the
work, Levasseur, who personated Bertram, sprang through the trap to
rejoin the kingdom of the dead, whence he came so mysteriously.
Robert, on the other hand, had to remain on the earth, a converted
man, and destined to happiness in marriage with his princess,
Isabelle. Nourrit, the Robert of the performance, misled by the
situation and the fervour of his own feelings, threw himself into the
trap, which was not properly set. Fortunately the mattresses beneath
had not all been removed, or the tenor would have been killed, a doom
which those on the stage who saw the accident expected. The audience
supposed it was part of the opera, and the people on the stage were
full of terror and lamentation, when Nourrit appeared to calm their
fears. Mdlle. Dorus burst into tears of joy, and the audience,
recognising the situation, broke into shouts of applause.
The opera was brought out in London the same year, with nearly the
same cast, but did not excite so much enthusiasm as in Paris. Lord
Mount-Edgcumbe, who represented the connoisseurs of the old school,
expressed the then current opinion of London audiences--"Never did I
see a more disagreeable or disgusting performance. The sight of the
resurrection of a whole convent of nuns, who rise from their graves
and begin dancing like so many bacchantes, is revolting; and a sacred
service in a church, accompanied by an organ on the stage, not very
decorous. Neither does the music of Meyerbeer compensate for a fable
which is a tissue of nonsense and improbability."[R]
M. Véron was so delighted with the great success of "Robert" that he
made a contract with Meyerbeer for another grand opera, "Les
Huguenots," to be completed by a certain date. Meanwhile, the failing
health of Mdme. Meyerbeer obliged the composer to go to Italy, and
work on the opera was deferred, thus causing him to lose thirty
thousand francs as the penalty of his broken contract. At length,
after twenty-eight rehearsals, and an expense of more than one hundred
and sixty thousand francs in preparation, "Les Huguenots" was given to
the public, February 26, 1836. Though this great work excited
transports of enthusiasm in Paris, it was interdicted in many of the
cities of Southern Europe on account of the subject being a
disagreeable one to ardent and bigoted Catholics. In London it has
always been the most popular of Meyerbeer's three great operas, owing
perhaps partly to the singing of Mario and Grisi, and more lately of
Titiens and Giuglini.
When Spontini resigned his place as chapel-master at the Court of
Berlin, in 1832, Meyerbeer succeeded him. He wrote much music of an
accidental character in his new position, but a slumber seems to have
fallen on his greater creative faculties. The German atmosphere was
not favourable to the fruitfulness of Meyerbeer's genius. He seems to
have needed the volatile and sparkling life of Paris to excite him
into full activity. Or perhaps he was not willing to produce one of
his operas, with their large dependence on elaborate splendour of
production, away from the Paris Grand Opera. During Meyerbeer's stay
in Berlin he introduced Jenny Lind to the Berlin public, as he
afterwards did indeed to Paris, her _début_ there being made in the
opening performance of "Das Feldlager in Schlesien," afterwards
remodelled into "L'Étoile du Nord."
Meyerbeer returned to Paris in 1849, to present the third of his great
operas, "La Prophète." It was given with Roger, Viardot-Garcia, and
Castellan in the principal characters. Mdme. Viardot-Garcia achieved
one of her greatest dramatic triumphs in the difficult part of Fides.
In London the opera also met with splendid success, having, as Chorley
tells us, a great advantage over the Paris presentation in "the
remarkable personal beauty of Signor Mario, whose appearance in his
coronation robes reminded one of some bishop-saint in a picture by Van
Eyck or Dürer, and who could bring to bear a play of feature without
grimace into the scene of false fascination, entirely beyond the reach
of the clever French artist Roger, who originated the character."
"L'Étoile du Nord" was given to the public February 16, 1854. Up to
this time the opera of "Robert" had been sung three hundred and
thirty-three times, "Les Huguenots" two hundred and twenty-two, and
"Le Prophète" a hundred and twelve. The "Pardon de Ploërmel," also
known as "Dinorah," was offered to the world of Paris April 4, 1859.
Both these operas, though beautiful, are inferior to his other works.