Par HINDEMITH PAUL. The opera is set in a variety of locations between the years 1608 and 1630 and throws a spotlight on individual scenes, sometimes presented simultaneously, from the life of the astronomer Johannes Kepler (1571-1630); the opera takes its name from Kepler’s theoretical work ‘Harmonices mundi’. Hindemith utilises substantial historical studies as the basis for his sketches of individuals within Kepler’s circle who each accompany the astronomer’s scientific endeavours with a variety of personal ambitions. The military commander Wallenstein attempts to utilise Kepler’s astrological abilities to realise his own pretensions to power while Kepler’s assistant Ulrich aspires to scientific fame and recognition. Kepler’s mother urges her son to apply his scientific abilities to the services of her black magic and the Lutheran minister Hizler forbids the astronomer to receive communion because Kepler questions the doctrine of Holy Communion in the Lutheran church and expresses sympathy for Calvinist doctrine. The few figures shed in a positive light include Kepler’s wife Susanna who supports her husband’s pursuit of truth and knowledge and the child Susanna who listens to the voices of nature and the moon in her childish naivety, thereby gaining revelatory knowledge. At the end of his life, Kepler takes stock of his situation, succumbs to a state of resignation and considers death as the greatest harmony of all. In his state of agony, music of the spheres can be heard; the constellations appear as allegorical figures in the opera and contradict Kepler’s negative concepts: lying beyond all that can be researched by mankind is a final majestic realm with the powers to ‘permit us to be amalgamated into a gigantic harmony of the spheres.’ / Date parution : 2022-07-20/ Répertoire / Opéra

Par PAULUS STEPHEN. Romantic Tragedy In Three Acts/ Accessoire / Livret d'Opéra

Par HINDEMITH PAUL. Versione italiana di R. Parodi Corso sintetico con il minimo di regole e con dimostrazioni per mezzo di esercizi./ Répertoire / Opéra Théorique ou Didactique

Par HINDEMITH PAUL. SUVMU8Z01024 / Formation musicale / Répertoire / Opéra Théorique ou Didactique

Opera with a Prologue and four Acts (First version) / Opera in five Acts (Second version) Dialogue versions. Par GOUNOD CHARLES. Charles Gounod’s “Faust” secured its international recognition in the version as an entirely sung opera, which from thenceforth has largely obscured the fact that the work was originally composed with spoken dialogues. The early versions staged prior to the 1869 performance at the Paris Opéra containing substantial unknown material and with dialogues and melodramas are the subject of this new edition. (The third version “version opera” was published in a separate edition BA 8713 in 2016.) Even as the rehearsals were taking place at the Théâtre-Lyrique in 1858, during the first series of performances at the theatre in 1859, furthermore as the 1862 revival was approaching and during the performances on the smaller stage at the Place du Châtelet, there were constant changes and revisions. It is, thus, impossible to identify manifestly definitive versions. Nevertheless, by drawing on the entire source material now at hand (including fascinating material only recently discovered) and on the whole gamut of aspects communicated by the reception, Paul Prévost systematically presents us with a score laid out in two main versions in whose chronology constancy and change become transparent. With all the musical changes having been documented, the result is a practicable score for performances which reveals a still far too unknown “Faust” – a “Faust” that is rooted in the tradition of the opéra comique. Quite a few musical numbers are published as a score for the first time in this edition: the trio for Faust, Wagner and Siebel “À l’étude ô mon maître”, the duet of Valentin and Marguerite “Adieu, mon bon frère!”, Méphistophélès’ air “Maître Scarabée”, Siebel’s romance “Versez vos chagrins dans mon âme!”, Valentin’s air with chorus “Chaque jour, nouvelle affaire”, the chorus of witches “Un deux et trois”, and also seven melodramas whose missing or incomplete orchestration has been written for our edition. It was only recently that the long-lost second part of Faust’s original cavatina “Salut! demeure chaste et pure” was unearthed. Only in details of orchestration do other numbers differ from the well-known pieces./ Répertoire / Opéra

Hector Berlioz was enthralled by Gluck and heard his masterpieces Iphigénie en Tauride Orphée Alceste and Armide in Paris.The original Italian version of Orphée gives the title role to a castrato. Gluck rewrote the part for high tenor for the performances in France (1774). In 1859 Berlioz arranged the opera so that Orpheus could be sung by the great mezzo-soprano Pauline Viardot with whom he worked closely at that time. He changed the formal design by dividing the work into four instead of three acts and placing the scenes in Hades and the Elysian Fields in separate acts. He also changed certain sections of Orpheus?s part mainly in therecitatives and fundamentally reworked Gluck?s orchestration.Berlioz?s version of Orphée is published as volume 22a of the New Berlioz Edition. This vocal score is based on that volume.- Vocal score based on the Urtext of the ?New Berlioz Edition?.- Original French text underlaid with singing German translation.- Trilingual Preface (Ger./Eng./Fr.).- Performance material available for hire.

Poursuivant la petite histoire de l'art lyrique français, Germaine Tailleferre et Denise Centore évoquent maintenant le grand style réaliste tel que l'ont pratiqué, entre autres compositeurs, Gustave Charpentier et Alfred Bruneau, qui ont osé amener sur la scène lyrique, le langage de tous les jours et le costume du prolétaire. L'action de la Pauvre Eugénie se situe à Paris en 1905, dans un atelier de lingerie, celui de Madame Phémie, qui a un mari, Monsieur Ernesse, et trois ouvrières : Titine la gavroche, Paula la sentimentale, et Eugénie, l'héroïne de cette histoire, ou plutôt, de ces tranches de vie, selon le style de l'époque. C'est le pendant musical des Rougon-Macquart de Zola. Gégène n'apparaîtra qu'à l'heure du dénouement. Au début de l'opéra, dans l'atelier, les trois ouvrières travaillent à des jupons de linon ennuagés de dentelle, et la mauvaise humeur de Monsieur Ernest s'exprime à la cantonade. Madame Phémie, la femme de ce dernier, presse ses ouvrières et découvre qu'Eugénie mange du saucisson à l'ail. Eugénie est mise à la porte pour cette faute grave et, désespérée, elle veut se jeter dans la Seine. Titine et Paula, horrifiées, lui parlent de l'enfant qu'elle a eu avec Monsieur J. Duplan, qui devait l'épouser. Elle ne peut pas l'abandonner. Soudain, on frappe à la porte, et apparaît Gégène qui vient livrer un boa pour Madame Phémie. Indignation de Titine et Paula, Madame Phémie va mettre un boa alors qu'elle a mis à la porte une fille-mère ! Gégène, indigné, veut voir Eugénie, dont il tombe amoureux ! Tout est bien qui finit bien, Eugénie part avec Gégène, quittant ainsi celle qui l'exploitait.Le dernier opéra évoque la période d'Offenbach, il s'agit de Monsieur Petitpois achète un château. Les personnages, en costume Second Empire, évoluent dans un château médiéval proche de Romorantin. C'est le domaine ancestral de Monsieur le Duc de la Bombardière. Le duc a un fils, lieutenant hussard et joli garçon, une servante familière et dévouée, Cunégonde, nourrice d'Adélestan, et un notaire compétent, Maître Pointillard. Mais il n'a pas d'argent, tout au moins, commence-t-il à n'en avoir plus assez. Il lui faut vendre son château, et il attend la visite d'un acquéreur éventuel, Monsieur Petitpois. Il s'entretient de l'affaire avec son notaire, et ne dédaignera pas de prendre l'avis de Madame Cunégonde, sa servante, sitôt terminée l'ouverture de l'opéra. / Orchestre / Partition