January 12, 2012

Pelléas et Mélisandre : Maeterlinck symbolism seen by Carlos Schwabe

Play written by Maurice Maeterlinck and created at the Théâtre des Bouffes-Parisiens in 1893, Pelléas et Mélisandre becomes an opera in 1902 under the conductor's baton of Claude Debussy. This timeless drama on the theme of virginal love and jealousy, became in a short decade the symbolist story by excellence. It is no surprise that Carlos Schwabe illustrated, in 1924 for Piazza, the story of this legendary couple. If his interpretation is more drawn from the opera  than the play, Maeterlinck, himself, considered that these illustrations were the most complete and more homogeneous.


 and for your enjoyment, the opera opening :


Currently, the librairie Loliée offers :
  • SCHWABE (Carlos) - MAETERLINCK (Maurice). Pelléas et Mélisandre. Illustrations de Carlos Schwabe. Paris, Piazza, 1924, in-8, full morocco binding by Saulnier, case. Deluxe edition with 30 original illustrations in colors by Carlos Schwabe. Limited to 950 copies. One of the 145 copies on Japan Paper with a suite in black and white of the illustrations.