Nell'«académie musicale de chant» di Parigi. Rossini al Théâtre-Italien nei "feuilletons" di Delécluze (1832-1863)

Abstract

The essay explores the reception of Rossini’s Italian operas in the writings of Étienne-Jean Delécluze. A leading figure in the Parisian cultural milieu of his time, Delécluze reviewed performances at the Théâtre Italien for the influential «Journal des débats» between 1832 and 1863. He developed an interpretative frame based on the idea that the Théâtre-Italien should function as as a “school of singing” for Paris, and identified Rossini’s operas as canonical texts that such a school should preserve and promote, in opposition to more recent trends originating from Italy. The breakdown of this cultural project, which had met with some significant public support, is probably linked to the structural crisis of the Théâtre-Italien in the 1860s.