Building the Operatic Museum

«Gibbons synthesizes much recent literature on such topics as French musical nationalism and the reception of early music in the nineteenth century, and analyzes these cultural trends in a manner that is [extensively] documented, rich in insight, clear, and highly readable. The book is a model of skillful argument and of expertise in organizing a subject that could easily overflow; a lesson in history and historiography that succeeds in offering a convincing central thesis (the establishment of an Operatic Museum) without denying the manysidedness of historical reality.»

«What makes the book particularly worthwhile is its careful contextualization of the major fin-de-siècle revivals of eighteenth-century operas including abundant selections from critical discourse. . . . One of the merits of Gibbons' book is the way it enables us to see how these dilemmas [of historical fidelity vs. practical viability, and of Germanic traditions vs. French national pride] were understood, and hotly debated, throughout the period in question, paving the way for a conception of the repertoire that is still very much with us. The book's most engrossing section is probably the one devoted to Mozart, for the [Austrian] composer's place within the French operatic pantheon would always entail the most complex negotiations.»

«Gibbons's well-written study of the productions of eighteenth-century operas in late nineteenth-century Paris considers broad issues of edition-making, nationalist interpretation, allegorical readings, and value judgment. An important addition to critical reflections on canon building. --Steven Huebner, McGill University»