Alfred Bruneau et Nantes (1891-1915)

In the late 1880s, the renewal of musical life in French provinces was especially noticeable in Nantes, where the critic Etienne Destranges played a key role in the dissemination of Wagner's music and of contemporary composers. Alfred Bruneau was one of the most important of them: after Paris and Monte Carlo, Nantes was the first provincial city where his works were performed. The writings of Destranges and Bruneau (correspondence, reviews, articles) show their close friendship and document Destranges' role in Nantes (publication of musical analyses, presence at rehearsals, discussions on casts). They also reveal the artistic and material difficulties regularly facing the two friends. In the end, despite the high standards of some performances they promoted, the privileged, envied status of Paris remained unchallenged.