A chamber opera in one act for soprano tenor baritone and bass soli TTBB chorus and orchestra commissioned for the Wells 800 Celebration in 1982. Libretto by Peter Porter. Vocal score with piano reduction. Duration: c. 55minutes.Orpheus is a Chamber Opera or perhaps more properly might be described as an ‘Opera-Cantata’. It is designed to be performed as a short opera fully staged and costumed or as a concert piece. Either way itsstructure is dramatic rather than reflective. It tells the story of Orpheus probably the most familiar story in music and en emblem of their art for composers of all periods as a direct narrative. Since the legend is set inthe world of pagan mythology it has been lightly Christianised for its Church setting. The Aeneid has often been seen as speaking of Christ avant la lettre and Renaissance Humanists were always willing to identify forerunnersof Christian types in Classical personages: in this manner Orpheus pursues without undue emphasis musical parallels with St Francis St Cecilia and even Adam and Eve.The work is framed briefly by a prologue and epilogue. ThePrologue introduces the four solo singers Hades (bass) Orpheus (tenor) Eurydice (soprano) and Charon (baritone). It also introduces the chorus who do not only portray at various stages Orpheus’s wedding companions thedenizens of Hell and Blessed Spirits in the Elysian Fields but also comments on the action as it proceeds.

Benvenuto Cellini, premiered in 1838, is inspired by the life of the legendary Florentine goldsmith and Renaissance figure. The premiere was a disatster yet even by Berlioz?s high standards it contains music of exceptional inventiveness and beauty. The work is challenging not least due to the three versions which exist: the original version (Paris 1) as Berlioz composed it the version premiered in Paris (Paris 2) after rehearsal and copied into an archival full score the Weimar version based on the revival in 1852 following changes suggested by Liszt Our edition offers a solution to the problem of publishing operas which have been heavily revised by their composers, so that any of its many versions may be adopted on stage today. Urtext of the New Berlioz Edition Full score (BA5441) and vocal score (French) with a supplementary libretto French-German (BA5441-90) available for sale Performance material (BA5441-72) available for hire