The author of the study offers a new interpretation of the well-known events associated with the debut of Christoph Willibald Gluck on the stage of the Paris Opera in 1774. According to the generally accepted version, first voiced in the 18th century by French enlighteners, the theater director Antoine Dauvergne and his colleagues wanted to prevent the composer’s arrival in Paris, fearing the destructive influence of his reform ideas on the current theatrical traditions. The agreement for six operas, allegedly concluded by Dauvergne and Gluck before the premiere of “Iphigénie en Aulide”, was supposed to serve as a means of pressure on the musician and, at the same time, as a repertoire insurance for the directors. However, searching for evidence proving the existence of this agreement has been unsuccessful. Moreover, Gluck’s letters and internal documents of the Opera indicate that the idea of six (finally—eight) French operas matured over several years and was initiated by the composer, who planned to remain in Paris. It can be concluded that this agreement is in fact an invention of Gluck’s first German biographers, who were inspired, as has been established, by a Johann Friedrich Reichardt’s short note. A study of the repertoire and financial situation that had developed at the Opera by the 1770s also allows us to conclude that the theatre’s directing department had no reason to sabotage Gluck’s arrival; furthermore, it played a crucial role in the triumph of his reform programme, creating favourable conditions for the composer’s debut in Paris.
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