Schirmer - Opera

Standard Version with sung recitatives-Although almost unanimously condemned by contemporary Parisian critics for its overt sexuality and graphic final scene Carmen ultimately reached the public in a way that perhaps no other opera has. Bizet's aim (with Meilhac andHalevy who wrote the libretto) had been to transform the flaccid moralistic bourgeois genre of opéra comique into a more sophisticated type of staged work and he seems to have suceeded in Carmen. Each character has a musicalsignificance and a unique expressive idiom the ultimate example being the dangerous exotic sensual Carmen herself depicted by an exotic and sinewy chromatic motive that also implies the insurmountable power of fate. In aclassic plot device she is contrasted with the 'good girl' of the opera Micaela whose main aria is set in the ternary form of the elevated bel canto French Grand Opera aria to imply her traditionally 'ladylike' retiring nature.Don José's musical styles reflect different levels in his descent from dutiful soldier to the underworld of obsession.This is the Schirmer edition of the Libretto in the original French with an English translation by Ruthand Thomas Martin.

The final episode of the Ring cycle 'Gotterdammerung' is itself a colossal work - one of the longest evenings of opera in the standard repertory. Musically Wagner has gained such mastery of his music drama and his use of musicalmotives that he treats both with superb freedom - the handling of Leitmotives in this opera can be thought of as one of the most powerful psychological achievements in art. This is the Schirmer edition of the Libretto in theoriginal German with an English translation by Stewart Robb.

Wagner completed the first version of the opera in 1845 during his tenure as Kapellmeister at the royal court of Dresden but he continued to redraft and revise it for the rest of his life. The setting is medieval Germany: the minstrel Tannhauser has fallen into sin with the goddess Venus but after a year in a moment of realisation he demands to leave. He finds himself near his home and is reunited with Elisabeth a girl he once loved. Elisabeth's uncle the landgrave organises a singing competition between Tannhauser and Wolfram who also loves her. Wolfram's song is simple and moving while Tannhauser confused by Venus outrages the audience by singing of profane love.He is banished to Rome on a pilgrimage to seek redemption and Elisabeth follows him with Wolfram. After much searching she gives up and dies just missing Tannhauser who Wolfram discovers creeping back to Venus the Pope having said that it was as impossible for him to be forgiven as for his staff to sprout flowers. Tannhauser sees Elisabeth and casts himself to die by her coffin and the Pope's staff bursts into bloom. This is the Schirmer edition of the Vocal Score edited and translated into English by Natalia MacFarren.

Premiered in Vienna in February 1892 under the direction of Hans Richter Massenet's Werther has proven an enduring work one of the composer's most tightly constructed and dramatically urgent. The libretto was fashioned bywriters Georges Hartmann Edouard Blau and Paul Millet after Goethe's 'Sorrows of Young Werther'. Charlotte the eldest daughter of a baliff is engaged to Albert. In his absence she is escorted to the local ball by ayoung visiting poet Werther. Albert returns unexpectedly disappointed at not finding Charlotte he promises her sister he will return in the morning. At the ball Werther falls in love with Charlotte but realises that Alberthas returned and urges Charlotte not to break her promise to marry Albert. Three months later Charlotte and Albert now married walk across the town square on their way to church followed by Werther who is stilldistraught. Albert realizes that Werther must be in love with his wife and Charlotte tells him he must leave town until Christmas. Werther rushes away contemplating suicide.Alone at home on Christmas Eve as Charlotterereads the dejected love letters written to her by Werther he appears and reads to her a passage from a poem where the poet foresees his own death. Charlotte begs him to stop and he realises she loves him too. But she runs fromhis embrace and Werther leaves resolved to die. Albert enters and a message arrives from Werther asking to borrow Albert's pistol. Her reaction convinces him of her love for Werther. The pistols are dispensed and when Albert hasgone she hurries off arriving at his quarters to find him dying. She declares her love and he begs forgiveness and dies.This is the Schirmer edition of the Libretto in French and English.

Of the four episodes of the 'Ring Cycle' 'Die Walkure' is most often performed separately and may be Wagner?s best-loved work. The source of this affection is certainly the sensitive depictions of Siegmund and Sieglinde's loveand the father-daughter relationship of Wotan and Brünnhilde.Siegmund stumbles into an unfamiliar house Sieglinde?s for shelter and the two fall for each other quickly. However Sieglinde's husband (from a forcedmarriage) Hunding is a kinsman of Siegmund?s foes and challenges Siegmund to a duel. Sieglinde gives Hunding a sleeping potion and the two realise they are brother and sister. Siegmund claims Sieglinde as his bride. Watching Wotan and Fricka tell Brünnhilde that she must defend Hunding's marriage rights. Brünnhilde sets out to observe the lovers. When Sieglinde falls asleep Brünnhilde berates Siegmund but when he argues she decides to help him.Hunding and Siegmund battle when Siegmund is about to win however Wotan appears and shatters his sword; he is killed. Brünnhilde escapes with Sieglinde and the broken sword. Wotan fells Hunding with a wave of his handand leaves to punish Brünnhilde. Sieglinde realises she bears Siegmund's child so takes the pieces of the sword and rushes off into the forest to hide. Brünnhilde herself flees to the Valkyries' Rock to hide but Wotan fins herand sentences her to become a mortal woman: she must lie in sleep to be claimed by any man who finds her but behind a wall of fire that only the bravest hero can pierce. This is the Schirmer edition of the Libretto inthe original German with an nglish translation by Stewart Robb.

Gaetono Donizetti's 'The Elixir Of Love' (L'Elisir D'Amore) remains an important work in the repertory of major opera houses of the twenty-first century. It is a good-natured story in which the peasant Nemorino attempts to winthe heart of his love Adina through the ingestion of a farcical magic elixir (which is in fact merely Bordeaux!). Nemorino's aria 'Una furtiva lagrima ' is the most famous excerpt from the opera.

A Grand Opera Buffa in Two Acts-Suggested by La Mère coupable of Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais. Libretto by William M. Hoffman. Commissioned by the Metropolitan Opera Company for its 100th anniversary.

Description Richard Wagner: Tristan Und Isolde (Vocal Score) Wagner's 'Tristan und Isolde' has long been acknowledged as the beginning of musical modernism. This is the Schirmer edition of the Vocal Score, edited by Richard Kleinmichel with an English translation by Henry Grafton Songlist Tristan Und Isolde

Conductor composer and pianist André Previn continues to redefine the possibilities in his extraordinary career already one of the most distinguished musicians of our time. This wonderful opera in three acts is based onthe famous play by Tennessee Williams and with the libretto by Philip Littell Previn has beautifully created music which truly evokes a sense of place and setting and reflects the fragility violence and passions of thecharacters. Available here is the piano/vocal score of Previn?s marvelous work which was commissioned by San Francisco Opera and premiered on 19th September 1998.

Libretto for Bedrich Smetana's comic Opera The Bartered Bride. This edition contains English only and was translated by Tony Harrison.

'Das Rheingold' is the first part of Wagner's 'Ring Cycle'.Alberich a gnome of the Nibelung discovers the all-powerful Rhine Gold and fashions a ring out of it knowing that whoever wears it will rule the world but must renounce love. The gods Wotan and his wife Fricka have build a new castle and paid the giants by promising them Fricka's sister Freia who grows the golden apples that give the gods their power. After a struggle she is kidnapped and all the gods begin to age and weaken. To get her back they decide to steal the Ring and bargain with the giants. Meanwhile Alberich has been forcing other to mine gold and Mime makes a helmet the 'Tarnhelm' out ofit thinking this will help him seize the Ring. Alberich steals the Tarnhelm but the gods arrive and trick both it the Ring and his gold out of him taking him prisoner. In a fury he curses the Ring to bring death and envy to all who posess it. The gods use the Ring and helmet to bargain with the giants. They win Freia back and go home to their new castle but as they leave the giant Fafner murders his brother Fasolt to claim the ring continuing its bloody history... This is the Schirmer edition of the Vocal Score with an English translation by Frederick Jameson.