SKU: CA.2045311

ISBN 9790007249298. Language: German.

This composition survives in the sources as a wedding song, even though the occasion it was written for is not known. It is stylistically close to the Symphoniae sacrae I, sharing its exquisite scoring with the last composition in the set (Bucinate in neomenia tuba/Jubilate Deo) with concertante instrumental parts for cornett and trumpet (or two cornetts). The text, taken from Proverbs, has an opening verse in triple meter which recurs in the middle (shortened) and at the end of the composition in the style of a ritornello, then commonly found in Italy. This verse ends with a characteristically dissonant transition for the upper instrumental parts to the final chord - as the key message of the composition. Score and part available separately - see item CA.2045300.

SKU: CA.2045305

ISBN 9790007239770. Language: German.

This composition survives in the sources as a wedding song, even though the occasion it was written for is not known. It is stylistically close to the Symphoniae sacrae I, sharing its exquisite scoring with the last composition in the set (Bucinate in neomenia tuba/Jubilate Deo) with concertante instrumental parts for cornett and trumpet (or two cornetts). The text, taken from Proverbs, has an opening verse in triple meter which recurs in the middle (shortened) and at the end of the composition in the style of a ritornello, then commonly found in Italy. This verse ends with a characteristically dissonant transition for the upper instrumental parts to the final chord - as the key message of the composition. Score available separately - see item CA.2045300.

SKU: CA.2045349

ISBN 9790007249366. Language: German.

This composition survives in the sources as a wedding song, even though the occasion it was written for is not known. It is stylistically close to the Symphoniae sacrae I, sharing its exquisite scoring with the last composition in the set (Bucinate in neomenia tuba/Jubilate Deo) with concertante instrumental parts for cornett and trumpet (or two cornetts). The text, taken from Proverbs, has an opening verse in triple meter which recurs in the middle (shortened) and at the end of the composition in the style of a ritornello, then commonly found in Italy. This verse ends with a characteristically dissonant transition for the upper instrumental parts to the final chord - as the key message of the composition. Score and part available separately - see item CA.2045300.

SKU: HL.14017278

Tristia is a song-cycle to words by Osip Mandelstam, one of the founding members of the so-called Acmeist school of Russian poetry - a movement which has much in common with both Symbolism and Imagism. As a Jewish dissident who had survived the Russian Revolution of 1917 and fallen foul of the subsequent Soviet regime, Mandelstam found it increasingly difficult to get either recognition or employment. In 1934 he was arrested for having written a satirical poem about Stalin. He perished four years later in a labour camp. Though he died in complete obscurity - nobody seems to know for certain the exact time or place of his death - his memory was kept alive by the courage and devotion of his wife Nadezhda whose book, Hope against Hope, is a moving chronicle of their last few years together. The five poems which make up the cycle are taken from the collection published in 1922 under the title, Tristia, a reference to the work of the same name by the exiled Latin poet, Ovid. The poems are set in English, but even in translation they convey the essence of Mandelstam's highly personal, associative style. As such they express the reactions of an alienated, sensitive and classically-educated outsider to the turbulent events he had so recently lived through. The five poems which make up the cycle are taken from the collection published in 1922 under the title, Tristia, a reference to the work of the same name by the exiled Latin poet, Ovid. The poems are set in English, but even in translation they convey the essence of Mandelstam's highly personal, associative style. As such they express the reactions of an alienated, sensitive and classically-educated outsider to the turbulent events he had so recently lived through.

SKU: BA.BA04025-01

ISBN 9790006443222. 33 x 26 cm inches. Text Language: English.

Handelâ??s â??Semeleâ?, which premiered in February 1744, is based on an adapted version of William Congreveâ??s opera libretto titled â??The Story of Semeleâ?, originally published in 1706. However, neither Handel nor his librettist referred to â??Semeleâ? as an opera or an oratorio, which, according to the understanding at the time, would have required a biblical and/or Christian subject matter. Contemporary audiences also disagreed on the genre. The problematic classification as an oratorio has persisted into the present day, likely due to the edition labeled as such by Chrysander. The â??Halle Handel Editionâ? (HHA) distances itself from this classification and, considering the available sources, refrains from assigning a genre label.

Congreve deviates from the mythological source multiple times in order to create tensions among the characters. The desired marriage between Semele and Athamas, whom she does not love, is an addition by Congreve to provoke the envy of her sister Ino, who desires Athamas herself. Therefore, Ino sees her own advantage in Semeleâ??s abduction by Jupiter. While Jupiterâ??s wife Juno decides to destroy Semele out of jealousy for his relationship with her, Jupiter brings Ino to his palace to console Semele. The vengeful Juno takes advantage of Inoâ??s presence and transforms into her likeness, persuading Semele to carry out a plan that later proves fatal. In the end, Ino emerges as the winner, as she is able to convince their father, Cadmus, to marry her to Athamas. The appearance of Apollo in the final scene to announce that Semeleâ??s immortal son Bacchus was saved from her ashes provides little consolation. However, this twist allows the drama to conclude with exuberant joy and a magnificent final chorus after the tragic scenes in the third act, culminating in the death of the protagonist.

Handelâ??s autograph score shows significant deviations from and numerous revisions of the original version premiered. All surviving early versions, the musical movements deleted before the premiere, and the version of the December 1744, are given in the appendix to the HHA.