La Mort d'Abel at the heart of a controversy

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01/10/2012

When the 1825 revival of Kreutzer’s opera justified the reprinting of the libretto (the text of the omitted second act was nevertheless included for reference purposes) a curious Foreword was added. Anecdotal at the time, it now affords a precious glimpse behind the scenes in a scandal that reveals the importance of modernity in French opera under the Empire as a means of ensuring success and posterity in the history of the arts.

CD-Book Rodolphe Kreutzer. La Mort d'Abel (2012). Translation: Mary Pardoe.