Cantata in two parts-In 1736 Handel composed ?Alexander?s Feast? or ?The Power of Musick? a two-part cantata based on John Dryden?s poem of the same name.In 1790 at the suggestion of Baron Gottfried van Swieten Mozart arranged this work using a German translation of the poem made by Karl Wilhelm Ramler in 1770. As in other arrangements of Handelian works Mozart?s re-instrumentation leads to a change in the sound character of the work placing the composition in the tradition of the Viennese Classic.Urtext of the New Mozart EditionFull score (BA4527-01) vocal score (BA4527-90) available for salePerformance material available for hire (BA4527-72)

Oratorio in three parts-In quite characteristic fashion for the times Handel’s opera “Alessandro” looks at various episodes in the life and rule of Alexander the Great (356 323 BC). This legendary warrior and military commander conquered large parts of the world before meeting an untimely end at the age of 32. A central conflict in Handel’s opera is Alessandro being in love with two women Lisaura and Rossane who compete for his favour. In addition his claim to be of divine parentage is underlined occasioning him to demand the subservience of his followers which meets with vigorous disapproval.Handel composed “Alessandro” for the Royal Academyof Music to a libretto by Paolo Antonio Rolli in the 1725/26 season. The work was premiered at the King’s Theatre in London on 5 May 1726. “Alessandro” was the first of five operas for the Royal Academy operas which saw Handel compose for three of the most famous singers of his time: Francesco Bernardi (called Senesino) Francesca Cuzzoni and Faustina Bordoni.Ortensio Mauro’s libretto “La superbia d’Alessandro ” which was performed for the first time in Hanover in 1690 in a musical setting by Agostino Steffani and staged again in the city the following year under the title “Il zelo di Leonato” but with numerous alterations served as the source text for Handel’s “Alessandro”. One of the main aspects Rolli had to consider when preparing the libretto for the London performances was to keep the roles of the famous singers of the Royal Academy well balanced yet at the same time to engineer a musical contest between the prima donnas Cuzzoni and Bordoni (Lisaura and Rossane) as well. From a business point of view it made good sense for such rivalry would surely increase public interest in the opera.It is no longer possible to ascertain which changes Handel made during the following performance series of the 1727/28 season. For the performance series of 1732/33 Handel made substantial revisions to the opera: six numbers were deleted in their entirety the finale in part as well and the recitatives were made much shorter with the parts of Cleone and Leonato omitted

Oratorio in three parts-Israel in Egypt HWV 54Oratorio in three partsThe versions of the 1739 and 1756?7 performancesThe distinguishing feature of our new edition is that it reproduces Israel in Egypt in its complete three-part form: The Lamentation of the Israelites for the Death of Joseph Exodus and Moses? Song. It was in this form that the work was given at its London premiere on 4 April 1739.Handel made extensive changes for the second performance. The reason is often said to have been the audience?s dissatisfaction with the work?s unusual design. However he may possibly only have wanted to satisfy the whims of asoprano who felt under-represented with solo material.Israel in Egypt is made up of a series of contrasting and artfully constructed choruses separated only by a few numbers for solo voice. Part 1 is entirely given to the chorus Part 2 largely so and Part 3 while containing most of the solo numbers still gives ample room to the chorus. Handel shortened several choral numbers and may have taken the opportunity to alter the opening of Exodus. He also added five arias and a recitative for the soprano Elisabeth Duparc. These arias had already been written for insertion in other works of the 1730s and two of them had been sung a short while previously in An Oratorio (1738). There is no libretto containing the changes introduced at the second performance. All the insert arias are reproduced in Appendix 1 of Volume I/14 of the complete edition.The next performance of the piece did not occur until 1756. Handel now compiled an entirely new Part 1 containing a balanced proportion of choral and solo numbers by selecting items from Solomon the Occasional Oratorio and the Peace Anthem. The two other parts retained their original form apart from a few cuts in the choruses and the addition in Part 3 of the aria ?Hope hope a pure and lasting treasure? from the second version of Esther (for both 1756 and 1757) and the aria ?Toss?d from thought to thought? from Alexander Balus (for 1757).Our new edition makes it possible for the first time to perform Israel in Egypt in three different versions: that of the premiere