Michael Spyres; Kirsten MacKinnon; Bianca Andrew; Claudia Mahnke; Michael McCown; Brian Mulligan; Thomas Faulkner; Andreas Bauer Kanabas; Chor der Oper Frankfurt; Frankfurter Opern-und Museumorchester; Antonello Manacorda - Giacomo Meyerbeer: L'Africaine - Vasco da Gama

At a late stage in its composition Meyerbeer changed the name of his opera L'Africaine to Vasco da Gama and completed it the day before he died in 1864. Changes were then made by the Belgian musicologist and composer Francois-Joseph Fetis who prepared a performing version from the extensive score material, retaining the title L'Africaine, before the opera's premiere in April 1865. The plot concerns the famed Portuguese navigator and his series of love entanglements cast as a magnificent grand opera. This production is based on the critical edition of the full score and reflects Meyerbeer's original intentions.