Saint Francois D'Assise is an Opera in three acts by Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992). Written in 1972 to 1983 it concerns the Catholic preacher Saint Francis of Assisi and displays the composer's devout Catholic faith. The third volume contains the complete third act of the Opera comprising the final two scenes; Stigma and Death and New Life. Despite his studies of Mozart and Wagner's operas Messiaen vowed that he would never compose one himself however he was eventually convinced by the French president. After feeling unworthy to dramatise either Christ's Passion or Resurrection he eventually chose to portray the life of SaintFrancis of Assisi whose life often reflected Christ's chastity humility poverty and suffering. This unique Opera by the individual Messiaen is a significant contribution to the repertoire and was notably semi-staged as part of the BBC proms series in 2008.

Saint Francois D'Assise is an opera in 3 acts by Olivier Messiaen. This volume is focused on the Act II – 6. Le Prêche Aux Oiseaux which depicts a moment when he preached to the birds in Assisi. Saint Francis gives the birds his benediction to which they answer by a Concerto. Based on the life of Saint Francis of Assisi this opera is set in Italy and is composed as per below: Act I: 1. La croix 2. Les laudes 3. Le baiser au lépreux Act II 4. L’ange voyageur 5. L’ange musicien 6. Le prêche aux oiseaux Act II 7. Les stigmates 8. La mort et la nouvelle vie This opera was played at the Paris Opera in 1983. Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) was a French organist and composer passionate about Ornithology and one of the most important composers of his century. Inspired by Japanese music he had a very special way of composing and his work can be identified by its complexity its diatonic aspect its harmony with limited transposition its colour and its additive rhythms. He composed many works related to ornithology and birdsong including the 'Bird Catalogue' in 7 volumes and the 'Treatise on Rhythm Colour and Ornithology' in 7 volumes.

A Child Of Our Time is probably Tippett's most celebrated work. It began life in 1938 when Tippett was searching for an appropriate subject for a full-scale oratorio which would be modelled on Handel's Messiah and Bach's Passions. With the Second World War and particularly the news of Kristallnacht in Nazi Germany the idea for A Child Of Our Time was born. He enriched the work with Negro spirituals the perfect modern equivalent to Bach's chorales. The result is an exultant assertion of compassion and brotherhood against all divisions of race or religion. This is the Vocal Score with Piano reduction.

The oratorio The Creation represents not only a crucial point in Joseph Haydn's compositional output but at the same time marks the beginning of a new chapter in the history of the oratorio.At the turn of the 19th century Haydn broke with the traditional dominance of the arias giving the chorus a distinctly greater significance. This opened the way for a new kind of choral oratorio which became one of the standard features of developing bourgeois concert life.The text translated from the English original by Baron van Swieten Prefect of the imperial court library in Vienna combines prose texts of the creation story inLuther's translation of the Bible with complementary excerpts from John Milton's Paradise Lost.- New edition based on the Urtext from the Complete Edition of “Joseph Haydn’s Works” published by G. Henle Verlag.- Vocal score with a contemporary Piano reduction by A. E. Müller revised by A. Köhs.- Excellent presentation on the page.

Par HAENDEL GEORG FRIEDRICH. Handel Song for St Cecilia´s Day (HWV 76) (Vocal Score) Following ?Alexander?s Feast? (1736), in 1739 Handel produced a second setting of the ?Ode to St Cecilia? (?Song for St Cecilia?s Day?). At its première it was combined with ?Alexander?s Feast?. Rather than a dramatic plot presentable in the theatre, the Ode, in its seven sections, offers a general hymn of praise to music and its impact. Accordingly, it largely consists of emotion-laden arias and festive orchestration. This edition, based on the Urtext from the ?Halle Handel Edition?, offers the version heard at the first performance ? the version preferred in today?s concert life. The foreword (Ger/Eng) provides many detailed notes on performance practice with regard to orchestration. - Urtext from the ?Halle Handel Edition? - Detailed notes on performance practice in the text section (Ger/Eng) - Straightforward piano reduction - Full Score (BA10722), vocal score (BA10722-90) and parts (BA10722) available for sale / Date parution : 2022-07-20/ Répertoire / Solistes, SATB et Orchestre

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