Le Grand Opéra Français - Le Spectacle de l'Histoire (1828-1867)

French Language

Exhibition catalogue

As part of the three-hundred-and-fiftieth anniversary of the Paris Opera, the Paris Opera and the French National Library are organizing an exhibition devoted to the great French opera, a genre closely linked to a century, the nineteenth, and a city, Paris.

The catalogue aims to retrace the evolution of this musical genre, from its origins to its decline. Favouring historical subjects, the great opera is the expression of the passions of time: Louis-Philippe's France, under the impetus of personalities such as Mérimée, Guizot or Viollet-le-Duc, is a journey to discover its past and its heritage. Medea by Cherubini and La Vestale by Spontini are pioneering works. In 1828, Auber, with Portici's La Muette, truly brought the great French opera to the baptismal font. Rossini also tries it with William Tell. However, it was Meyerbeer who gave the great opera its letters of nobility: Robert the Devil, The Huguenots and The Prophet were all triumphs.

Through a hundred works (manuscripts, sketches, paintings, set models), an original and elegant layout, the catalogue offers a spectacular journey through these years of lyrical creation.

AUTHORS
Romain Feist is music critic at Opéra International and curator at the Bibliothèque-Musée de l'Opéra de Paris.
Marion Mirande is responsible for lyrical publications at the Paris Opera.