Laurent Pelly’s new production provides a rare opportunity to see this classic of French grand opera by Meyerbeer.
Blending romance, the supernatural and grand spectacle, Robert Le Diable draws on the art and architecture of the Middle Ages to recreate a world of carousing knights, jousting tournaments, courtly dances and supernatural visions.
The production charts the story of Robert, Duke of Normandy, who has travelled to Sicily with the hope of marrying Princess Isabelle. But his sinister companion, Bertram, threatens to lead him astray.
Meyerbeer’s score is on a massive scale, ranging from introspective arias to grand ensembles and choruses. Highlights include Alice’s poignant aria in Act I, a macabre ballet of ghostly nuns in Act III and the final, impassioned ensemble of Act V, as Alice and Bertram struggle for Robert’s soul.
Learn more about London operas within the West End.