Per Sequenze Video, Soli, Coro, Orchestra E Live Electronics (2000 - 01). Par GUARNIERI ADRIANO. Italian / Musique contemporaine / Date parution : 1905-06-25/ Répertoire / Opéra

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 reductionEdition no.: BA 8793-90ISMN: 9790006533121Composer / Author: Monteverdi, ClaudioTitle: L'Orfeo Favola in musica in one prologue and five actsDetailed instrumentation: Soprano solo (7), Tenor solo (4), Bass solo (3), Mixed choir: SSATTB, Male choir: TTBBB, OrchestraLibrettist: Striggio, Alessandro (junior)Editor: Alessandrini, RinaldoForeword / Introduction: Alessandrini, RinaldoProduct format: Piano reduction, Urtext editionLanguage(s) of work: ItalianLanguage(s) of text: German, Italian, EnglishPublisher: BärenreiterBinding: PaperbackPrint run: 1st printing 2012Pages / Format: XIV, 143 S. - 27,0 x 19,0 cmWeight: 428 g

Gustav Holst has earned a place among the most revered of late 19th and early 20th century composers and is best known for his enduring Orchestral suite The Planets.But before that great work in his use of Englsh folksongs Gnostic texts and these Vedic hymns one can discern Holst’s search for a compositional Voice beyond the constraints of the European canon in the early 1900’s. In Savitri he makes use of modal styles bitonality austerity ofOrchestration in some places richness of texture in others and an ability to suggest Indian exoticism. The piece has a performance time of thirty minutes and has minimal staging requirements.

Full Score-The premiere of La Bohème took place at the Teatro Regio in Turin on 1 February 1896. Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica based their libretto for this opera on Scènes de la vie de Bohème by Henry Murger. It took Puccini only a fewmonths to complete a score brimming with wonderful melodic invention and orchestrational genius. The music is a surprisingly supple and sensitive medium for depicting a variety of emotions that animate the young: reckless living full of stop-gapexpedients erratic feelings and sudden explosions of noble sentiment the driving ambitions of one's art. Puccini's musical imagery illuminates the different moments and moods of the story with a delicate yet intense lyrical quality; just as therapid decline and death of Mimì subtle yet invincible remind us of the universal reality that all things must inevitably come to an end.On the cover: 'Al Quartiere Latino' sketch by Riccardo Salvadori as a variation on the sketch by Adolf Hohenstein for the world premiere in Turin of Bohème 1896 © Archivio Storico Ricordi

This new Opera was first performed in 1998 in Huddersfield by Opera North. Designed for the modern stage it utilises only a small cast and orchestra albeit one with a good variety of percussion! The libretto is adapted by thecomposer from the play ‘The Love of Don Pemperlin for Belisa in the Garden’ by Feredico Garcia Lorca translated into English by David Johnston. The plot revolves around the ill-fated marriage of Don Pemperlin an ageing bachelorand his beautiful neighbour Belisa which was suggested by Pemperlin’s maid. Tricks and misunderstandings abound and because of them Pemperlin ends by stabbing himself and dying even as Belisa proclaims her love for him.

With a libretto written by Weir herself based on the cryptic supernatural short story Der Blonde Eckbert by Ludwig Tieck. This one act pocket version of the opera makes use of a Chamber group rather thana full Orchestra and omits the chorus.'Eckbert and his wife Berthe live in seclusion in the Harz Moutains. One stormy night Eckbert's friend Walther arrives and to while away the time Berthe tells him her lifestory.Walther mysteriously knows a great deal about Berthe' s early life and Eckbert's suspicions grow eventually leading him to murder Walther during a hunting expediton.Consumed by terror and suspicion Eckbert retreats into seclusion and revisits the fairy-tale scenes of Berthe's childhood accompanied by a magical singing bird. He encounters the old woman who raised Berthe and at last learns the terrible truth about Walther Berthe and himself.' - Judith Weir

Iain Bell's A Harlot's Progress is an Opera in six scenes featuring a libretto by Peter Ackroyd based upon William Hogarth’s 1730 etchings of the same name.This is a full score for Soprano Mezzo-Soprano (x2) Baritone Tenor and Bass soloists with SATB chorus and Orchestra.

This short opera (duration of 50 minutes) aptly designed for children to perform with modest resources is a version of the familiar tale though with certain adaptations.Musically the piece is a bright sequence of littlesongs choruses dialogue scenes and dances probably best suited to children between the ages of eight and twelve though the parts of the ugly sisters can usefully be taken by boys with broken voices.The music is scored foran orchestra of recorders trumpet percussion strings and keyboard and ranges through a variety of styles. The opera has eleven solo parts and a chorus who act as a train ball guests and the magic kittens. It is alsosuitable for performance by children aged eight and upwards.

Par MAW NICHOLAS. Sophie's Choice is an opera in four acts based upon the post-war dramatic novel by William Styron, and commissioned by BBC Radio 3 in association with the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. The opera was first performed by the artists and orchestra of the Royal Opera House in December 2002./ Répertoire / Voix