The Cambridge Companion to Grand Opera Inthisfascinatingandaccessibleexplorationoftheworldofgrand opera,ateamofoperaticscholarsandwritersexaminesthose importantRomanticoperaswhichembracedtheShakespearean sweepoftragedy,history,loveintimeofconflict,andthestrugglefor nationalself-determination.Rivalnations,rivalreligionsandviolent resolutionsarecommonelements,withvarioussocialorpolitical groupsrepresentedintheformofoperaticchoruses.Thebooktraces theoriginsanddevelopmentofastylecreatedduringanincreasingly technicalage,whichexploitedtheworld-renownedskillsofParisian stage-designers,artistsanddancers,aswellassingers.Itanalysesin detailthegrandoperasofRossini,Auber,MeyerbeerandHaU~vy,and discussesWagner,grandoperainRussia,theCzechlands,Italy, BritainandtheAmericas.Italsoincludesanessaybytherenowned operadirectorDavidPountney. DAVIDeHARLTON isProfessorofMusicHistoryatRoyalHolloway, UniversityofLondon.HehaspublishedGretryandtheGrowthof Opera-Comique(Cambridge, 1986),E. T.A.Hoffmann'sMusical Writings:Kreisleriana; ThePoetandtheComposer;MusicCriticism (Cambridge, 1989)and,mostrecently,French Opera, 1730-1830 (2000). Cambridge Companions to Music Instruments TheCambridgeCompaniontoBenjaminBritten EditedbyMerVYnCooke TheCambridgeCompaniontoBrass Instruments TheCambridgeCompaniontoBrahms EditedbyTrevorHerbertandJohnWallace EditedbyMichaelMusgrave TheCambridgeCompaniontotheCello TheCambridgeCompaniontoJohnCage EditedbyRobinStowell EditedbyDavidNicholls TheCambridgeCompaniontotheClarinet TheCambridgeCompaniontoChopin EditedbyColinLawson EditedbyJimSamson TheCambridgeCompaniontotheGuitar TheCambridgeCompaniontoDebussy EditedbyVictorAnandCoelho EditedbySimonTrezise TheCambridgeCompaniontotheOrgan TheCambridgeCompaniontoHandel EditedbyNicholasThistlethwaiteand EditedbyDonaldBurrows GeoffreyWebber TheCambridgeCompaniontoSchubert TheCambridgeCompaniontothePiano EditedbyChristopherGibbs EditedbyDavidRowland TheCambridgeCompaniontoRavel TheCambridgeCompaniontotheRecorder EditedbyDeborahMawer EditedbyJohnMansfieldThomson TheCambridgeCompaniontoStravinsky TheCambridgeCompaniontotheSaxophone EditedbyJonathanCross EditedbyRichardIngham TheCambridgeCompaniontotheViolin Topics EditedbyRobinStowell TheCambridgeCompaniontoBluesandGospel Music Composers AllanMoore TheCambridgeCompaniontoBach TheCambridgeCompaniontoGrandOpera EditedbyJohnButt EditedbyDavidCharlton TheCambridgeCompaniontoBartok TheCambridgeCompaniontoJazz EditedbyAmandaBayley EditedbyMerVYnCookeandDavidHorn TheCambridgeCompaniontoBerg TheCambridgeCompaniontotheMusical EditedbyAnthonyPople EditedbyWilliamA.EverettandPaulR.Laird TheCambridgeCompaniontoBeethoven TheCambridgeCompaniontotheOrchestra EditedbyGlennStanley EditedbyColinLawson TheCambridgeCompaniontoBerlioz TheCambridgeCompaniontoPopandRock EditedbyPeterBloom EditedbySimonFrith,WillStrawandJohnStreet The Cambridge Companion to GRAND OPERA EDITED BY David Charlton RoyalHolloway, University ofLondon CAMBRIDGE d ..... UNIVERSITY PRESS cambridge university press Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi, Tokyo, Mexico City Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge cb2 8ru, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521646833 © Cambridge University Press 2003 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2003 A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloguing in Publication Data isbn 978-0-521-64118-0 Hardback isbn 978-0-521-64683-3 Paperback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Information regarding prices, travel timetables, and other factual information given in this work is correct at the time of first printing but Cambridge University Press does not guarantee the accuracy of such information thereafter. Contents Listofillustrations [page ix] Notesoncontributors [xi] Preface [xiii] Acknowledgements [xvi] Abbreviations [xvii] Chronology [xviii] 1 Introduction DavidCharlton [1] PartI • Theresourcingofgrandopera 2 The'machine'andthestate HerveLacombe [21] 3 Fictionsandlibrettos Nicholas White [43] 4 Thespectacleofthepastingrandopera Simon Williams [58] 5 Thechorus JamesParakilas [76] 6 Danceanddancers Marian Smith [93] 7 Roles, reputations, shadows: singersatthe Opera, 1828-1849 MaryAnnSmart [108] PartII • Revaluationandthetwenty-firstcentury 8 Directinggrandopera: Rienziand GuillaumeTellattheVienna StateOpera DavidPountney [131] PartIII • GrandoperasforParis 9 LaMuetteandhercontext SarahHibberd [149] 10 ScribeandAuber: constructinggrandopera HerbertSchneider [168] 11 Meyerbeer: RobertIeDiableand LesHuguenots MatthiasBrzoska [189] 12 Meyerbeer: LePropheteandL'Africaine John H. Roberts [208] 13 ThegrandoperasofFromentalHalevy DianaR. Hallman [233] 14 FromRossinitoVerdi M. Elizabeth C. Bartlet [258] 15 After 1850attheParisOpera: institutionandrepertory StevenHuebner [291] [vii] viii Contents PartIV • Transformationsofgrandopera 16 RichardWagnerandthelegacyofFrenchgrandopera Thomas Grey [321] 17 GrandoperainRussia: fragments ofanunwrittenhistory Marina Frolova-Walker [344] 18 GrandoperaamongtheCzechs Jan Smaczny [366] 19 Italianopera FiammaNicolodi [383] 20 GrandoperainBritainandtheAmericas SarahHibberd [403] Notes [423] Selectbibliography [470] Index [476] Illustrations 'Handsomepage!myhandsomepage!whatashapelycostume!':L'Illustration, 22November1851.(V&APictureLibrary) [15] 2 Pressadvertisementfornumerousderivativesofagrandopera. [16] 3 DailyseatingsummarydesignedforuseatParisOperaperformancesinthe SalleLePeletierduringthe 1860s. [32] 4 Perspectiveseating-planoftheParisOpera,SalleLePeletier(1821-73). (CoIL Jean-LouisTamvaco) [33] 5 GeneralviewfromthewingsduringanintervalattheParisOpera. (ColI. Jean-LouisTamvaco) [36] 6 Porcelainvase(c. 1834)bearingtheportraitofLaureCinti-Damoreau. (CoIL Jean-LouisTamvaco) [40] 7 Question:'Whydoforeigners understandScribe'soperasoeasily?'Answer: 'Becausetheydon'tknowFrench!':L'Illustration, 12January1856.(V&A PictureLibrary) [47] 8 Theartofthetheatricalscene-painter:L'Illustration,24February1894.(V&A PictureLibrary) [63] 9 Ciceri,setdesignforActIofSapho(1818). (clicheBibliothequenationalede France) [65] 10 Ciceri,setdesignforActIIIscene6ofAlfredIeGrand(1822). (cliche BibliothequenationaledeFrance) [66] 11 FinalsceneofLaMuettedePorticiasrevivedinParisin1863:L'Illustration, 31January1863. [68] 12 Apagefromatypical Iivretdemise-en-scene. [81] 13 LiseNobletdancingtheroleofLaFolieinAuber's GustaveIII. (Reproducedby kindpermissionofDoverPublications,Inc.) [96] 14 'AregularattheOpera':L'Illustration, 16November1844.(V&APicture Library) [105] 15 RienziattheViennaStaatsoper,directedbyDavidPountneyinDecember 1997.(WienerStaatsoper/photoZeiniger) [138] 16 RienziattheViennaStaatsoper:choreographybyRenatoZanella. (Wiener Staatsoper/photoZeiniger) [140] 17 GuillaumeTellattheViennaStaatsoper,directedbyDavidPountneyin October1998.(WienerStaatsoper/photoZeiniger) [143] 18 Fanny[Franziska] EIsslerasFenellainLaMuettedePorticiin1832. (ReproducedbykindpermissionofDoverPublications,Inc.) [155] 19 Costumedesigns(1828) forLaMuettedePorticibyHippolyteLecomte (1781-1857). (clicheBibliothequenationaledeFrance) [165] 20 ActVtriofromRobertIeDiablepaintedbyFran~ois-GabrielLepaulle (1804-86). (Paris,Museedelamusique. ©PhotoRMNGerardBlot) [194] [ix]