SKU: BR.EB-8704
ISBN 9790004180679. 9 x 12 inches. German.
Here is an addition to every church musicians repertoire: Nine sacred songs by Peter Cornelius on original poems in which he paraphrases the Our Father in a very personal manner. The piano accompaniment is based on ancient liturgical melodies which Cornelius elaborated very imaginatively. By arranging the piano part for organ, Klaus Uwe Ludwig seems to have been inspired by an observation made by Max Hasse in his 1922 biography of Cornelius: The cycle will always resist an orchestral adaptation. The organ seems more accessible as an accompaniment.
SKU: CA.925800
ISBN 9790007249205. Key: A flat major. German. Text: Cornelius, Peter.
Peter Cornelius once described himself as a poet-composer, for he wrote the texts for many of his songs himself. This is the case with In Lust und Schmerzen, the first song of the three Liebeslieder which make up op. 4. Cornelius composed these songs in 1854 in Weimar, where he was living near Franz Liszt whom he greatly admired. Liszt's influence can be discerned in the urgent piano accompaniment and the cumulative chromaticism which Cornelius chose as a means of expressing the emotional content of the text in music, alternating between Lust und Leiden, between Kampf und Ruh. The marking Leidenschaftlich bewegt [passionately agitated] aptly describes the character of the song. This art song was originally composed not for chamber choir, but for solo voice and piano. Denis Rouger has carefully adapted it to suit the requirements and expressive possibilities offered by a larger ensemble, without losing the any of the qualities of the original in the process. Each part in the choir has a melodic line drawn from the harmonic and rhythmic framework. In the process, the variety and refinement of the choral language combines with an enormous flexibility in form and expression, as French melodies or German art song demand from a soloist and pianist. The songs have been recorded by the figure humaine chamber choir on the CD Kennst du das Land ... (Carus 83.495).
SKU: BA.BA10701-90
ISBN 9790006502370. 27 x 19 cm inches. Text Language: Italian, German. Translation: Peter Brenner. Giacomo Rossi.
The libretto of what is likely Handel's shortest opera - and apart from Mozart'sLucio Sillathe most important musical setting of the text - is based on Plutarch's biography of Roman consul and dictator Lucius Cornelius Sulla. He is historically known for his reign of terror dominated by cruelty and violence, his excessive lifestyle as well as for his unexpected abdication followed by a withdrawal into private life. This surprising, voluntary relinquishment of power allowed Handel to adhere to the customary happy end (lieto fine) of the baroque opera.