The Meyerbeer cycle at Deutsche Oper Berlin started with a concert performance of Dinorah on October 2, 2014. The premiere of the critical edition received enthusiastic reviews.

Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (Eleonore Büning, 04.10.2014)
„Wagner and Rosenkavalier are everywhere. But not even one big opera house has managed to stage one of Giacomo Meyerbeer’s Grand Operas in the composer‘s anniversary year 2014. Not a single one of them. This can’t be a mistake. This is a collective failure. Every artistic director should be held to explain what has prevented him. Are there any practical, financial or even political reasons? Anyhow, Ricordi’s critical edition of Meyerbeer is almost finished.”

Tagesspiegel (Frederik Hanssen, 02.10.2014)
“The critical edition of the original version from 1859 succeeded in its first practical test at the Philharmonie [in Berlin]. Meyerbeer’s melodic inventiveness is impressive, the instrumentation is conscientious; the three hours of the performance pass by quickly.”

Deutschlandradio Kultur (Dieter David Scholz, 01.10.2014)
“It was a stroke of luck that this was the premiere of the critical edition. There are seven versions of the opera, including translations into German and Italian. Now this marvelously filigree and thrilling piece full of melodic ideas could be heard for the first time like in the world premiere. It was the last of Meyerbeer’s works that was premiered under his baton during his lifetime, and here he demonstrates the full range of his compositional skills.

This was a plea for a forgotten piece and a brilliant beginning of the big Meyerbeer project at Deutsche Oper Berlin.”

Photo: Bettina Stöß