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Giroud and Kayetell the full story of The Tales of Hoffman for the first time. After discussing the work's influences and history, the book details sources for the opera, including the complete Barbier and Carré play. The annotated libretto is published in full, with the variants, and essays explain the enduring evolution of the opera.
List of contents
List of Abbreviations
Foreword by Plácido Domingo
Introduction
Acknowledgments
Chronology
Part 1 - Essays
The Awareness and Influence of E.T.A. Hoffmann in France Before Les contes d'Hoffmann, Vincent GiroudThe Librettists of Les contes d'Hoffmann, Vincent Giroud"Hallucinations in the Tavern": Barbier's Scenario of the Play, Michael KayeThe Barbier and Carré Play and its Reception, Michael KayeThe Birth of the Opera, Michael KayeThe Revision for the Théâtre de la Porte-Saint-Martin
Hector Salomon: Le rêve d'Hoffmann (1875-1881)
The Unrealized Opéra-féerie Version of Les contes d'Hoffmann
Les contes d'Hoffmann, From Play to Opera Libretto, Charlie RichardsBarbier as Versifier, Vincent GiroudHoffmann after Offenbach, Michael KayeSummary of Performances at the Opéra-Comique Prior to 1911 and the First Performances of the Opera in Other Countries
The Brussels Version of the Opera (1887)
The Surprising Tale of Raoul Gunsbourg's Version of the Opera for Monte-Carlo (1904)
Albert Carré's revival of Les contes d'Hoffmann at the Opéra-Comique (1911)
Les Contes d'Hoffmann on the Stage: From Felsentein to the Present, George Loomis"Elle est sur la scène": Arriving at and Choosing a Version, Vincent Giroud and Michael Kaye
Part 2 - The Play and the Libretto
Les contes d'Hoffmann: The Complete 1851 Barbier and Carré Play, Edited by Michael Kaye, English translation by Vincent GiroudThe Libretto of Les contes d'Hoffmann, Edited and translated by Michael KayeLiterary Annotations for the Play and the Opera,Michael Kaye and Charlie Richards
Appendices
A. Comparative Table of Venues in the Opera in Early Sources
B. Descriptions of E. T. A. Hoffmann by Adolphe François Loève-Veimars (1799-1854)
English translation by Vincent Giroud
C. Little-Known Response to E.T.A. Hoffmann Prior to the Barbier and Carré Play
Michael Kaye
Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848): "Le violon de Crémone d'Hoffmann"
Juliette Godillon: A Forgotten French Composer Inspired by E.T.A Hoffmann
D. A Weimar-Era Example of the Opera's Popularization: "Laß' dir nix von Hoffmann erzählen" (1929), Michael Kaye
Select Discography, Videography, and Filmography, Charlie Richards
About the author
Vincent Giroud is professor at the University of Franche-Comté, Besançon (France), former curator of modern books and manuscripts, Beinecke Library, Yale University, author of French Opera: A Short History, Nicolas Nabokov: A Life in Freedom and Music, and contributor to the Oxford Handbook of Opera and the Oxford Handbook of Faust in Music.Michael Kaye, eminent American musicologist, author of The Unknown Puccini, translator of Giacomo Puccini Catalogue of the Works, editor of works by numerous composers performed and recorded by major artists and orchestras, lecturer, educator, radio commentator, producer and opera administrator, annotator for major recordings, former member of the musical and artistic staffs of opera companies in the United States and Europe, including the Metropolitan Opera.
Summary
Giroud and Kaye tell the full story of The Tales of Hoffman for the first time. After discussing the work's influences and history, the book details sources for the opera, including the complete Barbier and Carré play. The annotated libretto is published in full, with the variants, and essays explain the enduring evolution of the opera.
