Opera for Everyone – Ep. 139: Le Prophète by Meyerbeer

Host: Pat Wright
Guest Co-host: Gerald Malone
Date: February 10, 2026

Episode Overview

This episode dives into Giacomo Meyerbeer’s grand opera, Le Prophète, dissecting its musical splendor, compelling history, and dramatic narrative. Host Pat Wright and guest co-host Gerald Malone use their characteristic warmth and wit to examine Meyerbeer’s meteoric 19th-century fame, reasons for his neglect in the 20th century, and the opera’s magnificent but turbulent political, religious, and personal dramas. With playful banter and keen historical insight, they unpack the opera’s themes, production history, major characters, and standout musical moments—making a somewhat forgotten work accessible and irresistibly intriguing.

Main Discussion Points & Insights

Meyerbeer in Context: Fame, Scandal, and Obscurity

• Meyerbeer’s Legacy and Rise
  • Meyerbeer was the most produced opera composer in 19th-century Europe—more than Verdi, Wagner, or Rossini ([01:17]).
  • Came from a wealthy, intellectually prominent Berlin family, allowing financial independence and negotiation power as an artist ([03:08]).
  • “He was the most produced opera composer in all the major opera houses of Europe in the 19th century. More than Verdi, more than Wagner, more than Rossini, more than anyone.” – Pat ([01:17])
• Wagner’s Jealousy and Antisemitism
  • Wagner’s personal animosity, rooted in jealousy and antisemitism, led to “denouncing” Meyerbeer and influencing his later obscurity under the Nazis ([01:40–02:25]).
  • “Wagner was a pretty jealous man who needed money, and he saw Meyerbeer had plenty...” – Gerald ([01:40])
• High versus Popular Art
  • Meyerbeer’s commercial success, and comfort with popularity, drew skepticism from “serious” artists, a tension still seen with figures like Bernstein, Andrew Lloyd Webber, or Taylor Swift ([04:47–06:01]).
  • “It's an interesting thing to ponder whether an artist who tries to be commercially successful should be seen as less than. I don't think so.” – Pat ([05:40])
• Suppression and Revival
  • Meyerbeer’s works were banned under Hitler, and his music faded; the hosts discuss the possibility and need for modern revivals ([06:01–06:29]).
  • “We think we're ripe for a revival of Meyerbeer operas.” – Pat ([06:01])

Opera and Story: Setting, Characters, and Historical Context

Time & Setting

• 16th-century Holland and Germany during the Anabaptist takeover of Munster (1530–1535) ([07:21]).
• Meyerbeer contracted for this opera in 1838, finished by 1842, only premiering in 1849 due to his high artistic standards ([07:52–08:10]).

Main Characters

• Jean (John) of Leyden: The “prophet”—reluctant, manipulated, ultimately self-deluded leader.
• Fides: His fiercely loyal mother, a mezzo-soprano role requiring enormous strength ([18:01–18:57]).
• Bertha: His betrothed, an orphan soprano with a “blazing coloratura aria” ([14:28–14:41]).
• Count Oberthal: Villainous local tyrant (the archetypal cartoonish but, in the right production, menacing overlord).
• The Anabaptists (Zachary, Jonas, Mathieson): Political and religious agitators, both revolutionary and opportunistic ([11:21]).

Notable Character Dynamics

• Fides and Bertha represent two extremely strong female figures; their relationship with Jean is among the opera’s most affecting aspects ([16:50–17:15]).
• Jean is caught in the cross-currents of love, political manipulation, and maternal loyalty.

Plot Breakdown with Key Moments

Act 1 – The Peasant Storm

• Opens with an idyllic, pastoral peasant chorus, quickly undercut by the arrival of the sinister Anabaptists ([13:10]).
• “Meyerbeer is setting the scene ready for a storm that the Anabaptists are going to create. The happy peasants, maybe mythological...” – Gerald ([13:10])
• Bertha enters, enthralling the stage with her entrance aria. She is betrothed to Jean, having been saved by him ([14:28–15:11]).
• The Anabaptists rile up the peasants (“You think you’re happy, you’re not happy... your overlords are brutal...”) ([23:35]).
• Oberthal arrives, his tyranny quashes peasant rebellion; he orders Fides and Bertha arrested ([27:06–28:08]).

Act 2 – Dilemmas and Betrayals

• Setting: the inn in Leiden, Jean and Fides’s home ([32:40]).
• Anabaptists try to recruit Jean, noting he resembles King David and is the subject of his own messianic dreams ([33:16–34:22]).
• Jean’s inner conflict: Justice vs. Love. He’s forced to choose between saving his mother or protecting Bertha (Oberthal threatens to kill Fides if Bertha is not surrendered; Jean capitulates, sacrificing his beloved) ([41:08–42:09]).
• Fides blesses Jean for his sacrifice, highlighting the opera’s focus on parental loyalty ([42:20–42:44]).
• Jean, traumatized and wanting revenge, resolves to join the Anabaptists—his transformation from dreamer to vengeful leader ([44:27–46:41]).

[Timestamp] Notable Scene

• “[Oberthal] says, ‘I will kill your mother if you don’t turn Bertha over to me.’... I gasped. When he literally goes over to Bertha’s hiding place and grabs her out and throws her into the arms of this horrible man.” – Pat ([41:49])

Act 3 – Revolution, Spectacle, and Roller Skates

• The Anabaptist army, now ascendant, prepares to storm Munster ([53:00]).
• Historical detail: First use of electric lighting and roller-skating “ballet” in Paris opera for visual spectacle ([53:41–55:02]).
• “If you look up the history of the roller skates, which, of course, I did...” – Pat ([54:16])
• Peasants clamor for blood; leaders focus on extracting ransoms ([70:00–70:35]).
• Ballet sequence marks a pause in serious action with extended dance and ‘ice-skating peasants’ ([76:13–76:34]).
• Obertal, in disguise, tries to join Anabaptists but is exposed ([77:24–79:32]).
• Jean saves Oberthal—for his own vengeful purposes—and learns Bertha survived ([81:59–82:24]).
• Jean rallies the crowd with a masterful display of rhetoric (“Who told you to go to Munster? Not me...”); crowd’s support restored ([84:10–86:13]).

Act 4 – Coronation and Family Crisis

• Jean is crowned leader (“King of the New Jerusalem”) in a lavish coronation—one of opera’s great spectacle scenes ([92:20–93:14]).
• “...even Verdi praised it. And when he at one point was working with that same librettist, Eugene Scribe, he says, write me something with spectacle, something grand like Meyerbeer’s coronation scene.” – Pat ([92:27])
• Fides, now a wretched, begging woman, recognizes Jean; her loyalty is put to the ultimate test ([98:13]).
• In the presence of the crowd, Jean denies his mother to protect her from execution, forcing her to disavow their relationship ([100:02–101:14]).
• “He tries to be compassionate with her, playing this role of religious leader: Oh, poor deluded woman...” – Pat ([101:28])
• Fides later realizes Bertha intends to assassinate the prophet, not knowing it’s Jean ([101:55]).

Act 5 – Catastrophe & Redemption

• The Anabaptists plan to betray Jean to the advancing Imperial troops ([102:24]).
• Fides and Jean finally confront each other in the dungeon, leading to his genuine repentance and emotional reconciliation ([105:03–106:09]).
• Fides: “Through your mother’s voice, I am offering you a chance at redemption, a chance for heaven’s pardon.” ([105:53])
• Bertha, brokenhearted, kills herself upon realizing the identity of the prophet is her beloved Jean ([111:09–111:23]).
• In the opera’s climax, Jean blows up Munster’s palace with himself, his mother, and the conspirators inside—preferring death and redemption over submission ([112:15–113:32]).
• “All are guilty and all are punished. And there’s a sane feeling that he’s almost punishing himself as well...” – Gerald ([112:45])

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Meyerbeer’s Obscurity
  “Wagner just loathed, despised and tried to blot out and was largely successful. Meyerbeer was very, very infrequently played in the 20th century, a little bit more now in the 21st century.” – Pat ([06:01])
• Character at a Crossroads
  “He’s a man who’s been put in many dilemmas... and it’s a real test of the strength of his character.” – Gerald ([41:33])
• Fides’ Power
  “She just... I mean, it’s been a long opera. And the power that the voice brings to this role and how she holds the stage and how she dominates, she’s the linchpin of the whole thing...” – Pat ([109:06])
• On Spectacle in Opera
  “Imagine being in Paris at that time in 1849, and suddenly you see peasants carrying things and skating across the stage illuminated by electric light for the first time. Of course, you’d go back. That’s what it was all about.” – Gerald ([55:02])
• Satirical Aside
  “I was reminded of a film that I liked very much, the Life of Brian, where one of the characters says, ‘He’s not the Messiah, he’s just a naughty little boy.’” – Gerald ([98:22])

Character and Thematic Analysis

• Jean: From dreamer to manipulated leader to self-acknowledged prophet, then penitent—his journey is one of psychological malleability, tragic ambition, and final self-annihilation.
• Fides: Moral anchor of the opera; her maternal love drives act and redemption, and her loyalty is both a strength and a source of tragedy.
• Bertha: Victim of political and personal machinations; stands for the cost of fanaticism and misplaced revolutionary zeal.
• Oberthal and Anabaptists: Both authoritarians, their cynical manipulation of faith and social unrest provides a critique of power and populism.

Important Timestamps

| Segment | Timestamp | |------------------------------------------|------------| | Meyerbeer’s fame and Wagner rivalry | 01:17–03:57| | Meyerbeer's commercial success vs. "high art" | 04:47–06:01| | Act 1 – Peasant chorus/Anabaptists incite | 13:10–24:53| | Bertha’s aria and Jean’s love | 14:28–16:07| | Jean’s Dilemma: Mother or Beloved? | 41:08–42:09| | Fides' aria and maternal triumph | 42:20–43:05| | Act 3: Skating scene/ballet spectacle | 53:41–76:22| | Anabaptists’ betrayal and Oberthal unmasked | 77:24–82:24| | Act 4: Coronation scene, Self-delusion | 92:20–95:35| | Fides’ recognition/rejection scene | 98:13–101:28| | Final Act: Dungeon reconciliation | 105:03–106:09| | Bertha’s suicide and Jean’s fiery end | 111:05–113:32|

Additional Insights

• Production Innovations: Use of electric lighting and onstage roller skating marked Meyerbeer’s embrace of innovation and spectacle.
• Marketing Genius: Meyerbeer insisted on press coverage and claqueurs; parallels drawn to modern Broadway “applause tracks.” ([73:27–74:13])
• Enduring Themes: The hosts compare aesthetic snobbery, commercialization, and artistic jealousy in the 19th century to present-day music and theater.
• Librettist Partnerships: Eugene Scribe’s role as librettist is highlighted, comparable to other famous composer-librettist teams (Scribe/Meyerbeer, Mozart/da Ponte, Strauss/von Hofmannsthal) ([20:14–21:18]).

Closing Reflection

Pat and Gerald’s lively, epiphany-filled conversation makes Le Prophète’s daunting scale and reputation accessible, revealing its blend of historical intrigue, personal drama, musical innovation, and grand spectacle. In the end, this episode encourages listeners not just to appreciate Meyerbeer's craft, but to question the fickle fortunes of opera fame and to advocate for the revival of overlooked masterpieces.

[End of content summary, skipping show outro and credits]