A Comic Opera. Par BICKERSTAFF ISAAC (Arr. TOMS EDWARD). 'Love in a Village' was first performed on 8 December 1762 at the Covent Garden Theatre (London). It was to become one of the most popular British musical stage works of the century, and by 1791 it had also gained international acclaim. The question of why this pastiche comic opera was able to develop this special attraction can be described in terms of fashion and tradition. By bringing stylistically sophisticated compositions by various well-known composers such as George Frideric Handel, Thomas Augustine Arne und Francesco Geminiani into the traditional 'Ballad Opera', the theatre makers succeeded in renewing traditional ways of producing and performing playhouse entertainment. The music of 'Love in a Village' stems from four sources: Vocal music from the amusement gardens, Italian opera arias from the 1750s and 1760s, theatrical or occasional music and folk melodies. Love in a Village' thus further developed the methods first used by 'Ballad Opera' to create a comic opera from a sentimental plot and pre-existent vocal compositions. The fourth volume in our OPERA series consists of a linen-bound volume and an Edirom file stored on a USB card in credit-card format. The number of simultaneous users of the edition's digital component is unlimited./ Répertoire / Chant et Orchestre

Par MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY FELIX. Mendelssohn's contemporaries frequently mentioned his 'Hymn of Praise” in the same breath as Beethoven's Ninth - and often enough viewed it as an imitation. Mendelssohn authority John Michael Cooper, in his extensive Introduction to this new Urtext edition, shows that the comparison is completely unfounded: with this work Mendelssohn created a new genre to which he gave the name 'symphony-cantata”. Later he added a secular counterpart with 'Die Erste Walpurgisnacht”. Drawing on all relevant sources, Cooper provides a detailed account of the genesis and structure of this monumental work. Rounding off his scholarly performing edition are notes on the work's performance, e.g. tempo, articulation and dynamics. For the first time the piano reduction includes Mendelssohn's authorised version of the 'Sinfonia”, based on the first edition of No. 1 for piano solo./ Répertoire / Chant et Orchestre

Part I: Pierrot Lunaire, Op. 21. Par SCHOENBERG ARNOLD. Arnold Schönberg est la figure centrale du monde musical du XXe siècle. Sa signification musicale était déjà évidente pendant sa durée de vie, mais son influence à titre posthume a augmenté énormément. Son travail a ouvert la voie à révolutionnaire des changements dans la perception musicale. Cette édition complète aspire à être tout aussi indispensable pour la recherche, ainsi que pour la performance. L'édition est publiée en deux séries : série a en format folio contient des oeuvres tout rempli, toutes les partitions piano préparées par le compositeur lui-même et les oeuvres tout inachevées convenable pour la performance - également des fragments (gros scores) qui sont mieux adaptés pour être imprimées dans un tel format. Série B, au format in-quarto, contient des versions précoces, des croquis, des idées et des fragments ainsi que Genèse et un commentaire critique. / Date parution : 1996-12-17/ Répertoire / Chant et Orchestre

Par TELEMANN GEORG PHILIPP. This volume represents the only annual cycle of sacred music of the 18th century printed in score: it was completed in 1744. The textual basis stems from Erdmann Neumeister. In contrast to the usual practice of the Telemann Edition to edit segments of the church years, here the entire course of the church year is presented. The music to be performed at the beginning of each part of the church year and at special celebrations is included. Telemann used a variety of expressive polyphonic techniques to create the introductory dicta. These, like the chorales, are written in concentrated three-part harmony. The preface provides information on the printing history of the church year and its dissemination supplemented by comments on performance practice: the critical report analyses the rich source material. Editions of Telemann's preface (with his performance notes and an explanation of his figured bass system), the preface on the printing of the texts and the texts of the compositions contained in the volume flank the edition of the music. Facsimiles from the original print and from Hamburg performance materials are included./ Répertoire / Chant et Orchestre