LE PROPHÈTE • Bard SummerScape Opera 2024

LE PROPHÈTE Giacomo Meyerbeer July 26 – August 4, 2024 Bard SummerScape Libretto by Eugène Scribe and Émile Deschamps Directed by Christian Räth American Symphony Orchestra conducted by Leon Botstein Bard Festival Chorale conducted by James Bagwell “A riveting and rousing piece. [Director] Christian Räth’s astute production…[makes] a case for 19th-century French grand opera.” —Wall Street Journal “Leon Botstein has a penchant for reappraisal. He mounted a persuasive argument for Le prophète.” —The New York Times “Botstein and the American Symphony Orchestra gave the audience unadulterated beauty.” —OperaWire Religion, power, ego, and manipulation collide in composer Giacomo Meyerbeer’s glorious psychodrama. Shepherded by a trio of sinister Anabaptists, the simple innkeeper Jean de Leyde is persuaded to proclaim himself king of Münster. Armed with charismatic leadership, Jean mobilizes the masses to mount a tumultuous religi