Opera in three acts. Par STRAWINSKY IGOR. New edition of Stravinsky?s largest work, his only full-length work for the theatre, and his first major work in English. It also represents the culmination of his neoclassical years, after which he started to rethink his musical language. Inspired by an exhibition in Chicago in 1947 of a series of Hogarth prints, the depiction of the ironic progress of the spendthrift heir of a miser from wealth via debt to madness and death is, in essence, retained in the opera. Auden and Kallman's 'fable' wittily grafts onto Hogarth?s quest narrative aspects of, among other sources, Classical pastoral, the Faust legend, fairy tale, circus, the Bible and opera in many different manifestations. This is brilliantly matched by Stravinsky?s music, which takes as its source the whole of operatic history from Monteverdi to Verdi via Rossini and Donizetti and large doses of Mozart, yet it is neither parody nor pastiche. The Rake?s Progress can be appreciated on many levels, which might explain why it is still one of only a handful of 20th-century operas never to have been out of the repertoire. / Date parution : 2023-10-31/ Répertoire / Solistes, Choeur et Orchestre

Opera in three acts. ?Giulio Cesare in Egitto? is by far Handel?s most frequently performed opera owing its success not least to its subject matter, one of the best known love stories in world history. Already during Handel?s lifetime the popular work was often staged and therefore adapted by Handel for each of the performance conditions. The editor Hans Dieter Clausen has succeeded in editorially defining and practically presenting these adaptations ? essentially four versions ? on the basis of a meticulous study of the sources within the framework of the ?Halle Handel Edition?. The new edition allows for a performance of each of the four versions. The version of 1725 is particularly noteworthy because Handel newly devised the role of Sesto for the famous tenor Francesco Borosini. The libretto shows the Roman dictator Cesar in a friendly light. He instructs his enemy, the Egyptian tyrant Tolomeo, how to treat adversaries: he reconciles the widow and son of his enemy Pompeo who was murdered by Tolomeo: he is generous and just, hands on, but also diplomatic, thoughtful, aware of the limits of his power, and susceptible for art and nature. However, the actual protagonist of the opera is Cleopatra. In a masterly way Handel develops her character musically. In his extensive Foreword Hans Dieter Clausen not only decribes the genesis, historical background, reception and the edition of the opera, he also examines the musical and dramaturgical reworking of individual numbers in ?Giulio Cesare?. Handel was such an expert in adapting arias for new purposes and other characters that he did not only meet the needs at hand but often the new version surpassed the original. In this way, the reader gains, in passing, a well-founded insight into Handel?s work methods when designing and redevising his characters. The detailed Critical Commentary includes information on the comprehensive and highly complex source situation as well as on individual editorial decisions.

Vocal score for Johann Sebastian Bach's The Passion Of Our Lord for SATB soli, SATB chorus, orchestra and organ. This volume contains all vocal parts and a piano accompaniment. / Chant/Vocal/Choeur

Monteverdi’s opera “L’Orfeo” based on the legend of Thracian singer Orpheus and his love of Eurydice is a masterpiece of musical declamation and ornamentation. It was first performed during the 1607 carnevale in the “Palazzo Ducale” in Mantua.When an edition remains true to its sources this certainly does not mean that it is not also practical to use as is demonstrated in this Bärenreiter edition of Monteverdi’s “L’Orfeo”. Edited by Rinaldo Alessandrini the new publication follows the Bärenreiter edition of Monteverdi’s “Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria”.Two contemporary prints of “L’Orfeo” from the years 1609 and 1615 have been passed down to us. Four copies of each of these prints still survive today in public libraries. The later print includes many corrections to the earlier edition and was accordingly used as the primary source for this Bärenreiter edition. However when solving musical problems the editor frequently follows the more coherent style of the earlier print. The numerous interesting variants not only between the two editions but also amongst the eight surviving copies are listed in the critical commentary.This edition of “L’Orfeo” offers in addition to Monteverdi’s somewhat sparse original figures also figures added to the bass line by the editor. The continuo player should however feel free to follow his own judgment. The notation has been when necessary adapted to suit modern practice for example with regard to the clefs. The sections that were originally written in “chiavetta” have been transposed a fifth lower. In the appendix these sections also appear in their original notation in facsimile as well as transposed a fourth lower. Detailed introduction by the editor (Ital/Eng/Ger) on the work’s genesis and performance practice Comprehensive critical commentary (Eng) in the score Idiomatic piano reduction