Dramma per musica in thre acts. Par HAENDEL GEORG FRIEDRICH. Tamerlano HWV 18; Dramma per musica in 3 acts Handel began the composition of Tamerlano, one of the supreme masterpieces of Baroque opera seria, on 3rd July 1724. The libretto was an adaptation by Nicola Haym of Agostino Piovene's Tamerlano, Tragedia per musica, which had been set to music by Francesco Gasparini, and performed in Venice in 1711. When Handel dated the last page of the autograph on 4rd July the work appeared to be complete; but during the three months which passed before the premiere at the King's Theatre in the Haymarket on 31 October, so many alterations and revisions were made that a fresh performing-score had to be writtern very late inthe proceedings, to replace an earlier one which is now 1ost. There were twelve performances between 31 October 1724 and 8 May 1725. Handel revived the opera only once, in 1731, for three performances. For this revival he marked in the performing score a number of cuts in the recitatives, which are reproduced in the present edition; there is more recitative in Tamerlano than in any other Handel opera. Urtext of the Halle Handel Edition. Full score (BA4052) and vocal score (BA4052-90) available for sale Performance material (BA4052-72) available for hire/ Répertoire / Solistes, Choeur et Orchestre

New York is the city which fascinates and inspires Ruders. Time and again he goes back there to work. 'Manhattan Abstraction' (1982) subtitles - a symphonic skyline for large orchestra - was conceived there. Ruders’ Brittish colleague Oliver Knussen defines the piece as: - a performance of an extraordinary Morden-Times-like construction. It is a sort of symphonic sculpture which in the composer’s own words words propels forth from one particular inspiration: the New York profile as seen from Liberty Island one icy cold January day with it’s open clear sky and dazzling sun light. 'Manhatten Abstraction' appears as an amalgam of some of the compositorical habits foundin present pieces. For instance are present here compositorical ideas and melodic loans from 'Capriccio Pian’e Forte' 2nd String Quartet(1979) 'Four Compositions' (1980) and 2nd Piano Sonata(1982). The question at hand is mainly concerned with the enhanced elaboration of Ruders’ use of the classic English change-ringing system: a permuting method pre-determining the order of tone-appearances and /or tone groups; a serial technique in other words. In spite of the rigidly fixed material Ruders somehow manages to chisel out a personal expression by way of emphasising contrasting elements already existing within the material itself. The spiky repetitive sections form a counterpart to a more human violin-solo. This dialectical tension is - as hinted by the title - a symphonic abstraction of a fascinating metropolis; the most beautiful and the ugliest. The subtitle: a symphonic skyline reflects the musical erection of the Manhattan profile which under the clear sky materializes into the most powerful and compelling man-made sculpture on earth. Thus 'Manhattan Abstraction' is a homage to as well as a vision of this giant contraption of concrete glass and chrome.