Pelléas et Mélisande - Commentaires

Of all Debussy's works, Pelléas et Mélisande, his only completed opera, is undoubtedly the one whose genesis was the longest and most complex. First composed between 1893 and 1895, this lyric drama was not premiered until 30 April 1902 at the Opéra-Comique. During the years he waited, Debussy constantly reworked his score, and even after he took on the task of engraving it himself in 1903, he still made many changes inspired by the first performances.The fully bilingual (French, English) commentary volume that complements the orchestral score of Pelléas et Mélisande (series VI/2) documents this long creative process in detail. It includes an in-depth introduction to the genesis of the work, an edition of the libretto and a detailed description of the numerous manuscript and printed sources used to produce the musical text. A section devoted to the variants highlights the most significant differences, marked in bold and referring to specific passages in the score. The appendix includes six reconstructions of several of the interludes in their original version, before the changes made by Debussy during rehearsals. The work is completed by seventy-seven colour plates, ranging from early manuscripts to corrected proofs, and including photographs of the sets and costumes from the 1902 premiere at the Opéra-Comique.