L'OPÉRA FRANÇAIS
MUSIC THEATRE BETWEEN THE REVOLUTION AND THE MODERN ERA
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From the rich treasures of 19th century French opera, only a few works have
remained in the repertoire to the present
day: Carmen and Faust are the best-known.
Other operas which were popular in the
19th and early 20th centuries both in
France and further afield are waiting to be
rediscovered. This is particularly surprising when we realise how adventurous and varied the productions of the Parisian opera houses were at this time. The Opéra-Comique broke records both in terms of the high number of new works it staged, but also in terms of the frequency of their performances; the Grand Opéra assured the careers of the most famous French and foreign singers; the Théâtre Lyrique discovered young composers and contributed to an exceptional diversification of the genre; the opéra bouffe and operetta were the toast of the town. Composers including Cherubini, Méhul, Spontini, Boieldieu, Auber, Halévy, Adam, Thomas, Gounod, Lalo, Saint-Saëns, Delibes, Bizet, Chabrier, Massenet and others gained international reputations. After the rediscovery of Baroque opera in the last two decades, interest in these dormant works of the past is now growing. In response to this, |
Bärenreiter plans to
revive this rich body of work for modern
performance and has embarked on the
publication of the series L‘Opéra français.
This will comprise critical editions of operas
created in the period of great social upheaval
between the Revolution and the outbreak
of World War I. Works are included which
are important from a musical and theatrical
point of view, or characteristic of a style or
genre. The volumes meet the scholarly demands of a critical edition as well as the practical performance requirements of theatres and performers. All known sources have been consulted in preparing the editions. Due care and attention have been given to the layout of the scores and performing materials. The Critical Commentary enables users to consult the various sources of the works. Each volume contains a preface by the editor, the libretto, the orchestral score, a Critical Commentary on the musical text and wherever applicable appendices. Thus, Bärenreiter provides high quality scholarlycritical editions which make this repertoire available to theatres again, in all its diversity. With the series L‘Opéra français the music world can look forward to discovering unimagined treasures! |
L‘Opéra français will comprise approx. 35 volumes. Please ask for the L‘Opéra français subscription offer. → |
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Luigi Cherubini (1760-1832) · Etienne Nicolas Méhul (1763-1817) · · Gaspare Spontini (1774-1851) · Francois Adrien Boeldieu (1775-1834) · Daniel François Esprit Auber (1782-1871) · Ferdinand Hérold (1791-1833) · Fromental Halevy (1799-1862) · Adolphe Adam (1803-1856) · Félicien David (1810-1876) · Ambroise Thomas (1811-1896) · Charles Gounod (1818-1893) · Edouard Lalo (1823-1892) · Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) · Léo Delibes (1836-1891) · Georges Bizet (1838-1875) · Emmanuel Chabrier (1841-1894) · Jules Massenet (1842-1912) · Vincent d'Indy (1851-1931) · André Messager (1853-1929) · Gustave Charpentier (1860-1956) · Paul Dukas (1865-1935) · Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
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