{"product_id":"massenet-jules-als-announcing-a-meeting-with-the-director-of-the-opera-comique","title":"MASSENET Jules - ALS announcing a meeting with the director of the Opera Comique","description":"\u003ch4\u003e Jules MASSENET (1842-1912)\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAutograph Letter Signed (“Massenet”) to an unidentified correspondent, informing him of a summons from M. Carvalho [Leon Carvalho, director of the Opéra Comique].\u003cbr\u003e2 pages 8vo in French, Dieppe, 26 July n.y.                \u003cbr\u003eTrans: “\u003cem\u003eMonsieur Carvalho has just this moment sent me a telegram asking me to go to lunch at Puys this morning.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI don’t expect that we will talk about La Navarraise, but I am touched by his interest. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI will let Heugel know about this missive – but . . . to come to Paris . . . to leave Cinderella!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAffectionately in haste –\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI will keep you informed.\u003c\/em\u003e”\u003cbr\u003eSeveral of Massenet’s operas had their premiere at the Opéra Comique, including his very successful \u003cem\u003eManon\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eLa Navarraise\u003c\/em\u003e, however, was premiered at Covent Garden in 1894, and was staged at the Opéra Comique a year later.\u003cbr\u003eWork on \u003cem\u003eCendrillon\u003c\/em\u003e started soon after the premiere of \u003cem\u003eLa Navarraise\u003c\/em\u003e, but it was nearly five years before it would have its premiere, this time at the Opéra Comique. Once again, Massenet had composed an immensely successful opera.\u003cbr\u003eMassenet’s prodigious output means that many of his operas, successful or not, are rarely heard today. \u003cem\u003eLa Navarraise\u003c\/em\u003e is one of those less well known, but \u003cem\u003eCendrillon\u003c\/em\u003e continues to be a popular favourite, as are \u003cem\u003eManon \u003c\/em\u003eand \u003cem\u003eWerther.\u003c\/em\u003e Having completed\u003cem\u003e Cendrillon\u003c\/em\u003e, he announced that it would be his last opera. It wasn’t, and he continued to produce several more operas.\u003cbr\u003eHenri Heugel, mentioned at the end of the letter, was the most prominent music publisher in France at the time. He published the score of \u003cem\u003eLa Navarraise\u003c\/em\u003e in 1894. It is impossible to be precise about the year of this letter, but the text might suggest July 1894, a month after the London premiere of \u003cem\u003eLa Navarraise\u003c\/em\u003e, and the early days of work on \u003cem\u003eCendrillon\u003c\/em\u003e while Massenet was enjoying a holiday on the Normandy coast.\u003cbr\u003eAt the top of the letter Massenet has written in large letters “2nd letter”, suggesting that he had sent this correspondent a previous letter that morning. \u003cbr\u003eSlight pinhole at the top of the letter, not affecting the text.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Richmond Autographs","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56399816229250,"sku":"1940","price":425.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0979\/3392\/files\/Massenet-ALS-26juillet-a-web_9e7f2638-1a60-4060-a552-6152c2641016.jpg?v=1771696849","url":"https:\/\/www.richmondautographs.co.uk\/products\/massenet-jules-als-announcing-a-meeting-with-the-director-of-the-opera-comique","provider":"Richmond Autographs","version":"1.0","type":"link"}