CARMEN

New York City, NY: Abbeville Press, 2001. First Edition. First Printing.. Hardcover. As New/As New Dust Jacket.. New York City, NY: Abbeville Press, 2001. Hardcover. As New/As New. First Edition/First Printing. 220 pages. Book-length presentation of the opera. The first and only edition. Published in a small and limited first print run as a hardcover original only. The First Edition is now scarce. A sumptuous production by Davide Pizzigoni: Oversize-volume format. Pictorial hard boards with red cloth quarterboards and black titles embossed on spine, as issued. Art by Davide Pizzigoni. The original French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy is reproduced in its entirety with the English translation by J. D. McClatchy, one of America's greatest poets. Andre Cluytens' definitive recording on two CD's in separate sleeves attached on the back endpaper. Printed on pristine-white, thick coated stock paper to the highest standards. In pictorial DJ with titles on the cover and spine, as issued. Presents Davide Pizzigoni's "Carmen". His transcendently beautiful staging of the opera. Unquestionably the most popular opera of all time. "Has one of the best-known plots with the most memorable music, despite its initial rejection by Paris critics following its scandalous 1875 premiere at the Opera Comique, a theater known for works of a lighter flavor. Based on Prosper Merimee's novella, Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halevy's libretto fashioned a timeless story of love, jealousy, and violence in the Spanish city of Seville, all set into motion by Carmen, a seductive, free-spirited femme fatale. For this new edition, artist Davide Pizzigoni creates a stage for the imagination with richly allusive illustrations that capture the exotic spirit of the Spanish setting. J. D. McClatchy's fluid and rhythmic translation of the libretto allows the listener full appreciation of Bizet's swift and lustrous score as it is exquisitely performed in this recording by Andre Cluytens conducting the Orchestre du Theatre del' Opera Comique. A truly symphonic experience of song, poetry, and art" (Publisher's blurb). David Pizzigoni is a Milan-based artist/designer whose opera credits include sets and costumes for productions in Zurich and Vienna. J. D. McClatchy is the Editor of The Yale Review and author of four collections of poetry. An absolute "must-have" title for opera lover/collectors. This title is a contemporary classic. This is one of few copies of the First Hardcover Edition/First Printing still available online and is in especially fine condition: Clean, crisp, and bright. Please note: Copies available online have serious flaws or are remainder-marked. This is surely an accessible and lovely alternative. A scarce copy thus. One of the greatest operas of all time, re-interpreted by a great stage artist/designer and poet. A fine copy. . ISBN 0789207192.