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 François-Joseph Fétis 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 opéra. This production is based on the critical edition of the full score and reflects Meyerbeer’s original intentions.

This Frankfurt Opera’s 2018 production was deemed an ‘Entertaining New Production’ and ‘Tobias Kratzer’s stage work is remarkable, with admirable direction and some brilliant moments’ (Seenandheardinternational.com).

This recording features an excellent line-up of soloists: ‘Musically, the evening leaves nothing to be desired. Michael Spyres is a prime casting for the demanding role of Vasco da Gama… Claudia Mahnke impresses as Selika with her warm-timbered mezzo-soprano, which has enormous drama in the high notes. She portrays the foreign princess’s fluctuating feelings with great intensity and moves you to tears in her big final scene with emotionally charged singing’ (Online music magazine).

It also wrote that ‘As her rival Ines, Kirsten MacKinnon is her vocal equal in every respect. She also inspires with great drama. In particular, the duet between the two women, when Selika decides to let her lover go and choose suicide herself, is presented with moving intensity by MacKinnon and Mahnke’.

Mundoclassico.com wrote that the ‘voices of Spyres, Mahnke, Mulligan, MacKinnon and the rest of the cast vibrated with energy’.

Antonello Manacorda’s versatility as a conductor is rooted in the richness of his musical and cultural background: born into a French-Italian family in Turin, he is a long-time resident of Berlin. Manacorda was a founding member and longstanding concertmaster of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra before studying under Jorma Panula. Today, Manacorda appears at world renowned opera houses as well as at the helm of leading symphony orchestras.

Cast:
- Vasco da Gama: Michael Spyres (tenor)
- Sélika: Claudia Mahnke (mezzo-soprano)
- Inès: Kirsten MacKinnon (soprano)
- Nélusko: Brian Mulligan (baritone)
- Don Pédro: Andreas Bauer Kanabas (bass)
- Don Diégo: Thomas Faulkner (bass)
- Anna: Bianca Andrew (mezzo-soprano)
- Don Alvar: Michael McCown (tenor)