A full account of the making, during 1909-10, of Der Rosenkavalier with emphasis on its derivation from a French operette of 1907, L'Ingenu libertin.
L'Ingenu libertin was seen in Paris by Count Harry Kessler and formed the basis of the opera then to be written by Hofmannsthal and Strauss. Previous scholarship has credited the narrative and characters of Der Rosenkavalier to much older French sources known to and studied by Hofmannsthal, but this book shows clearly how every element in L'Ingenu libertin is in fact taken (and transformed) by Kessler and Hofmannsthal into the work that made fortunes for Hofmannsthal and Strauss, but left Kessler on the sidelines.
Michael Reynolds casts a major new light on Strauss's most popular operatic success, highlighting in particular how it was that Hofmannsthal - who had not until then had any theatrical success as an original playwright - was advised and empowered by Kessler to produce a work that succeeded onstage from its very first performance and went rapidly on to conquer the stages of the world.
Michael Reynolds is an established writer on opera, a translator and an online music critic, an interest that he sustained throughout thirty years in the world of international diplomacy. His previous book for Boydell, About Suffolk, was an anthology of writing about his adopted county.
Industry Reviews
Reynolds's book will reward both scholars and opera-lovers who are interested in Der Rosenkavalier's co-creators or are fascinated by collaboration and the creative process. * MUSIC LIBRARY ASSOCIATION NOTES *
The 'Preface' to Michael Reynolds's charming book begins with a pithy statement: 'This is a book about creation, authorship and relationships'. Thus, in a nutshell, he lays out succinctly the course his monograph takes from uncovering a largely overlooked backstory to the creation of one of the most successful operas of the twentieth century. He presents a detailed account of the nature and origins of its authorship via a considered and sensitively pitched examination of the artistic relationships that underpinned it. * MUSIC AND LETTERS *
If you love Der Rosenkavalier, Reynolds' book is essential-and fascinating-reading. Exoticandirrational Blog * . *
This newly released paperback edition of Michael Reynolds' 2016 beautiful hardcover book will contain much that is news to fans - and who isn't? - of Richard Strauss' opera Der Rosenkavalier. * Limelight *
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