Feminism and Anti-colonialism

In the year when all over the world, theatres celebrate the bicentenaries of the births of Giuseppe Verdi and Richard Wagner, La Fenice theatre in Venice has had the brilliant idea to rediscover the rarely staged grand opera L'Africaine by Jacob Meyerbeer. Although born in Berlin and operating for several years in Italy, where he composed six operas in the Rossini 'tragic' style, Meyerbeer became a divinity in Paris where he had tremendous influence on the opera houses. It is known that Wagner went out of his way (and of his pride) to beg Meyerbeer to allow a Wagner work to be staged in the French city, then the musical capital of Europe. Verdi was invited by Meyerbeer to compose for the Paris stage, which he did thanks to a very hefty fee — Verdi was always an excellent businessman...