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Trailer
Meyerbeer: L'Africaine
7.0
|
3h 9m
|
1988
Overview
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.
Cast
![Plácido Domingo pic](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.tmdb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Foriginal%2Fr0OUJ630b7dllOFBQ4SElP3XnpC.jpg&w=320&q=75)
Plácido Domingo
Vasco Da Gama
![Shirley Verrett pic](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.tmdb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Foriginal%2FlysNHncqS4LVQbmbzB1jQO4cH6w.jpg&w=320&q=75)
Shirley Verrett
Sélika
![Ruth Ann Swenson pic](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.tmdb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Foriginal%2FnvdEIjJhwcfAlp5P7hs8zLuyBeE.jpg&w=320&q=75)
Ruth Ann Swenson
Inès
![Justino Díaz pic](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fimage.tmdb.org%2Ft%2Fp%2Foriginal%2FbNHbH2ErPXl6QoFwv46k91c9wZ.jpg&w=320&q=75)
Justino Díaz
Nélusko
![Patricia Spence pic](/_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2FPortraitPlaceholder.a8aff590.png&w=320&q=75)
Patricia Spence
Anna
![Kevin Anderson pic](/_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2FPortraitPlaceholder.a8aff590.png&w=320&q=75)
Kevin Anderson
Don Alvaro
![Michael Devlin pic](/_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2FPortraitPlaceholder.a8aff590.png&w=320&q=75)
Michael Devlin
Don Pedro
![Philip Skinner pic](/_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2FPortraitPlaceholder.a8aff590.png&w=320&q=75)
Philip Skinner
Don Diego
![Mark Delavan pic](/_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2FPortraitPlaceholder.a8aff590.png&w=320&q=75)
Mark Delavan
High Priest of Brahma
![Joseph Rouleau pic](/_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2FPortraitPlaceholder.a8aff590.png&w=320&q=75)
Joseph Rouleau
Grand Inquisitor of Lisbon
![Sigmund Seigel pic](/_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2FPortraitPlaceholder.a8aff590.png&w=320&q=75)
Sigmund Seigel
A priest
![Maurizio Arena pic](/_next/image?url=%2F_next%2Fstatic%2Fmedia%2FPortraitPlaceholder.a8aff590.png&w=320&q=75)
Maurizio Arena
Conductor
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