Introduction
Museums
Restorations
(De)Translations
Transitions
Resurrections
Tragedies
Symbols
Monuments
Quarrels
Archaeologies
Notes
Bibliography
Index
What makes the book particularly worthwhile is its careful
contextualization of the major fin-de siècle revivals of
eighteenth-century operas including abundant selections from
critical discourse. . . . One of the merits of Gibbons' book is the
way it enables us to see how these dilemmas [of historical fidelity
vs. practical viability, and of Germanic traditions vs. French
national pride] were understood, and hotly debated, throughout the
period in question, paving the way for a conception of the
repertoire that is still very much with us. The book's most
engrossing section is probably the one devoted to Mozart, for the
[Austrian] composer's place within the French operatic pantheon
would always entail the most complex negotiations.
*NINETEENTH-CENTURY MUSIC REVIEW*
Gibbons's well-written study of the productions of
eighteenth-century operas in late nineteenth-century Paris
considers broad issues of edition-making, nationalist
interpretation, allegorical readings, and value judgment. An
important addition to critical reflections on canon building.
*Steven Huebner, McGill University*
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