Ein Feldlager in Schlesien. Meyerbeer composed some of the pieces in a light, humorous style largely new to his work in a Rossiniian spirit of playfulness, but there are also elements of the grand opera mode he had made so successful, for instance in the finale to the second act, with huge massed choruses, stage bands and processions. Critics of the original production much admired many features of the work's orchestration, including the use of harps in the barcarolle in act 1 and the two flutes in the third act mad scene. Recordings Both of the recent revivals are available, the first (Opera Rara) on a privately issued CD ROM, and the second (Wexford) on a commercial CD. The first is rather significantly cut, while the second has very minimal musical omissions but greatly abridged dialogue. Orchestra of Philomusica, London; Opera Rara Chorus; Roderick Brydon (conductor); Malcolm King (Péters/Pierre), Janet Price (Catherine), Alexander Oliver (Danilowitz), Alan Watt (Gritzenko), Deborah Cook (Prascovia), Bonaventura Bottone (George), Lissa Gray (Nathalie), Susanna Ross (Ékimona), Graham Clark (Ismaïloff), Roger Bryson (Reynolds), Bruce Ogston (Yermolov). Recorded live 25 February 1975 at Collegiate Theater, London, as part of the Camden Festival. Unique Opera Records Corporation UORC 240 2 LPs. Also: Opera Rara CD (stereo) MRF 119-S. Wexford Festival Opera, Vladimir Jurowski (conductor); Vladimir Ognev (Péters/Pierre), Elizabeth Futral (Catherine), Aled Hall (Danilowitz), Christopher Maltman (Gritzenko), Darina Takova (Prascovia), Juan Diego Flórez (George), Agnete Munk Rasmussen (Natalie), Patrizia Cigna (Ékimona), Robert Lee (Ismaïloff), Fernand Bernardi (Reynolds), Luis Ledesma (Yermolov). Recorded October 1997. Naxos Marco Polo 8.223829-31. Ballet In 1937 Constant Lambert arranged excerpts from this opera and from Le prophète into the ballet Les Patineurs, choreographed by Sir Frederick Ashton. References Notes Sources Huebner, Stephen, "L'étoile du nord" in The New Grove Dictionary of Opera, ed. Stanley Sadie (London, 1992) External links , synopsis Operas by Giacomo Meyerbeer French-language operas 1854 operas Operas Opéras comiques Opera world premieres at the Opéra-Comique Cultural depictions of Peter the Great Libretti by Eugène Scribe