GOUNOD, Charles 1818-1893

Mireille Opéra en 3 Actes Tiré du Poëme de Frédéric Mistral par Michel Carré ... Partition Chant et Piano. [Piano-vocal score].

Paris: Choudens Fils [PN A.C. 1005], [ca. 1890].

Large octavo. Original publisher's full red cloth flexible blindtooled boards, titling in silver to upper and spine. 1f. (recto title, verso blank), 1f. (recto named cast list and contents verso blank), 3-32, [viii] (1)32-32(8), 33-213, [i] (blank) pp.

Binding slightly worn, soiled, and bumped; front free endpaper brittle, corner lacking. Browned; some signatures split.

Third version, fourth issue.

Mireille, to a libretto by Michel Carré after Frédéric Mistral, was first performed at the Lyrique on March 19, 1864.

"There are... fine moments in Mireille, particularly in the title role where Gounod exhibits his particular talent for feminine characterization... Mireille... is a noteworthy contribution to the French lyric stage... It presents the unsuitability of a love match because of difference in social status entirely within the framework of a rural agrarian society and transforms the daughter of a farmer into a tragic heroine."

"In his unceasing quest for what he saw as dramatic and spiritual truth, Gounod succeeded in restoring a higher sense of artistic purpose to the French stage, and in strictly musical terms his influence on the course of French music was substantial." Steven Huebner in Grove Music Online.

Item #28826

Price: $25.00  other currencies