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Francis Poulenc's Dialogues of the Carmelites: The Documented History of a Twentieth-Century Opera

Author: 
Year:
Pages:312
ISBN:1-4955-1241-X
978-1-4955-1241-4
Price:$59.95
This is a softcover book.

"In 1946, Poulenc wrote that 'inspiration is such a mysterious thing that it is best not to explain it.' Explain it or not, Poulenc reminded us that 'my music is my portrait,' and Dialogues is both his most substantial work and his most inspired creation. Tens of thousands have encountered his music through this opera, and many of them have been brought to tears by its emotionally wrenching last scene. ... It is time that the complex history of this splendid opera, including the many documents surrounding it, be made available together." -Dr. Carl B. Schmidt ("Preface")

Table of Contents

Preface
Chapter I: Poulenc's Introduction to Music, Poetry, Theater, and Religion
Chapter II: Search for Appropriate Libretti
Chapter III: Historical Background and Literary Sources
Chapter IV: Composition of Dialogues of the Carmelites: 1953-56
Chapter V: Two Premieres: Milan in Italian and Paris in French
Chapter VI: Productions Elsewhere: Summer 1957-1959
Chapter VII: Dialogues of the Carmelites 1960 to the Present: "It Won't Last"
Appendix I: Comparison of Bernanos's Screenplay with Poulenc's Libretto
Appendix II: Preliminary Census of World-Wide Productions of Dialogues of the Carmelites, 1957-2024
Appendix III: Preliminary Census of United States Productions of Dialogues of the Carmelites, 1957-2024