Format : Score
Par RAMEAU JEAN-PHILIPPE. Richer than ever – Rameau’s “Zoroastre” in the version of 1756. Opera in five acts. Rameau’s revised version of his opera “Zoroastre”, which could be heard and seen between 20 January 1756 and 26 March 1757 at the Académie royale de musique, was favourably received. Also from today’s point of view the work profits dramaturgically from many of the changes and seems altogether richer and more tightly woven than the original of 1749. The subject matter of the libretto, derived from Ancient Persian sources, is timeless: the struggle between good and bad. The good is embodied by the religious reformer Zoroastre, a representative of the supreme light being Orosmade. He is opposed by the ambitious magician Abramane who serves Ariman, the spirit of the dark. The opera includes some of Rameau’s most ecstatic and spiritual musical numbers, such as the episode of sun worship in Act 3 with the sublime „Hymne à la Lumière“, which, for unknown reasons, was not integrated in the revision of 1756. It is therefore included in Appendix 3 of this Bärenreiter edition. Incidentally, with “Zoroastre” the prologue, wh ich had been customary since the beginnings of French opera in the 1670s, was abandoned. Instead Rameau was the first to introduce an overture which set the scene for the entire drama and thereby anticipated Gluck’s opera reform by many years. Here we present the instrumental numbers for concert performance. - Based on the first scholarly-critical edition, published as part of “Opera Omnia Rameau” - Instrumental numbers in order of performance, but also grouped by key in the list of contents, enabling them to be combined freely into orchestral suites - Published with performance material on hire / Date parution : 2022-11-08/ Répertoire / Orchestre
SKU: BA.BA08889
ISBN 9790006575213. 33 x 24 cm inches. Text Language: French. Louis de Cahusac.
This collection of the instrumental numbers from Zoroastre, a Tragdie in five acts includes the movements and dances of all the original versions, i.e. those of January and February 1756 (found in the Opera Omnia Rameau volume IV.26, BA08867-01) as well as those of 1749. Orchestras can compile a suite to meet precisely their own needs. For this purpose, the index includes a separate overview sorted by key. The performance material of the Symphonies is available on hire reflecting the high standard of Opera Omnia.
About Barenreiter Urtext
What can I expect from a Barenreiter Urtext edition?
MUSICOLOGICALLY SOUND - A reliable musical text based on all available sources - A description of the sources - Information on the genesis and history of the work - Valuable notes on performance practice - Includes an introduction with critical commentary explaining source discrepancies and editorial decisions ... AND PRACTICAL - Page-turns, fold-out pages, and cues where you need them - A well-presented layout and a user-friendly format - Excellent print quality - Superior paper and binding
SKU: BA.BA07569
ISBN 9790006523375. 32.9 x 23.9 cm inches. Text Language: French/German. Preface: Soury, Thomas. Louis de Cahusac.
Rameau's “Les Fêtes de l'Hymen et de l'Amour†was long considered second-rate because its première was associated with a political event. Yet this ballet abounds in novel dramaturgical effects that foreshadow his later operas, such as “Zaïsâ€, “Zoroastre†and “Les Boradesâ€. Working together with his librettist Cahusac, Rameau sought to weave the dance numbers, choruses and stage machinery more tightly into the main plot. He also experimented with stylistic devices unique to this work, the most famous being unquestionably the scene in which the Nile overflows its banks (an impressive ten-voice double chorus with solo voices and orchestra) and the sextet from “Arurisâ€, a scoring found nowhere else in his uvre.For the first time, this scholarly-critical edition of “Les Fêtes de l'Hymen et de l'Amour†presents a reference version of the work that is based on all the major sources for both the libretto and the music, including two recent musical discoveries. As most of the performance material for the première has vanished, our edition is based on the version prepared for the Acadmie Royale de Musique in 1748.
