SKU: BA.BA08708-01

ISBN 9790006537846. 33 x 27 cm inches. Text Language: French. Preface: Prévost, Paul / Macdonald, Hugh. Text: Leterrier, Eugène / Vanloo, Albert.

WithL'Etoile, Chabrier composed a light-hearted opera which has increasingly enjoyed revivals in recent years.

The plot is introduced by King Ouf I who offers his subjects an execution every year on his birthday. Unfortunately the problem now arises that no crime has recently been committed which might serve as a reason for an execution. Finally, he finds a would-be victim in the young Lazuli. However, according to predictions by the astrologer Siroco, Lazuli's fate is closely linked to the king's own life. The comic opera is further bolstered by a story of mistaken identities which involves a great deal of diplomacy, a love story and a large number of refined, yet catchy melodies.
Chabrier was a master of the sensitive and complicated art of musical comedy, a field where he can be compared in equal measure to Offenbach, Rossini and Mozart.

This vocal score is based on the full score edited by Hugh Macdonald which is published as part of the seriesL'Opera francais.

- Authoritative Urtext edition based on the seriesL'Opera francais
- Original French text with a German singing translation
- Comprehensive foreword (Ger/Eng/Fr)

About Barenreiter Urtext

SKU: BA.BA05448

ISBN 9790006471478. 33.2 x 26.5 cm inches. Text Language: French. Text: Berlioz, Hector / Nerval, Gérard de.

In 1828 Berlioz wrote the Huit scènes de Faust. The work was soon withdrawn but almost twenty years later each of the eight scenes found a place in the Lgende dramatique La damnation de Faust dedicated to Franz Liszt. The first part of the Damnation exposes the figure of Faust and has an introductory nature. From the second part onwards, the course of action is largely based on Goethe’s drama.

Contrasting characters and dramatic effect are of central importance in understanding Berlioz’s musical thought and his compositional process. Magic and fairy tale, incantations and ghosts, have been the ever-recurring themes of opera since the Baroque. It is precisely this fantasy in Berlioz's Faust, the “Opra de Concert en Quatre acts”, which comes very close to the spirit of Goethe's presentation.

About Barenreiter Urtext