Par OFFENBACH JACQUES. This is the last of nearly 100 operettas created by French composer Jacques Offenbach, a native of Germany whose works were most prominent in the latter half of the nineteenth century. His three-act drama Les Contes d'Hoffmann (The Tales of Hoffmann), which includes a prologue and epilogue, recounts dramatic stories of passion, murder, and revenge. Left incomplete at the composer's death, the operetta debuted in 1881 and remains popular to this day for its many memorable melodies. A masterpiece of French Romanticism, Les Contes d'Hoffmann embodies Offenbach's wish to transcend the limitations of his popular operettas and achieve success among the lofty heights of grand opera. This imaginative score presents an artful blend of fantasy, emotion, and the supernatural as well as elements of satire and the grotesque. Hoffmann, the narrator and protagonist, relates three stories to his drinking companions. The tales concern Olympia, who is revealed as a mechanical doll- Antonia, a gifted vocalist in danger of singing herself to death- and Giulietta, a Venetian courtesan who uses a magic mirror to purloin others' reflections. Reproduced from an authoritative score, this edition offers musicians and music lovers a modestly priced edition of Offenbach's enduring work./ Répertoire / Orchestre

'Realms of Endless Day' is a fantasy setting of the hymn tune melody, 'Picardy.' This melody, thought to have been named for the region in France where it is believed the melody originated, is also the melody for the hymns 'Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence' and 'Christians, Let Us Love One Another,' as well as the 'Hymn of Saint James.' This enduring and tuneful melody is given three contrasting statements that gradually build to an exciting conclusion. This piece is scored for full orchestra by arranger Michael Kamuf, but will work quite effectively with strings alone. (3:30) / Orchestre

Par BACH JOHANN SEBASTIAN. Study Score Format 22. 5 x 16. 5cm The St. John Passion was first performed in Leipzig on Good Friday of 1724. Written three years before the St. Matthew Passion, it was a work Bach revised during the rest of his life, in fact he did not leave us a definitive version either in print or fair copy. The sources give evidence of four different versions used at four performances - 1724, 1725, around 1730 and during the last years of Bach 's life. They often contain two or more readings for the same passage, or even different movements that on different occasions occupied the same place in the work. Our edition uses the final version IV asits basis with alternative movements and readings contained in the appendices. A comprehensive preface in the study score (German/English) TP197 gives full information. - Full score, performance material (BA5037), vocal score (BA5037-90) and study score (TP197) available for sale./ Répertoire / Partition de Poche

Facsimile of the autograph score in the British Library, London. Par HAENDEL GEORG FRIEDRICH. The first performance of George Frideric Handel’s oratorio “Messiah” on 13 April 1742 in Dublin aroused unqualified rapture. A newspaper report a few days later declared that it combined “the Sublime, the Grand, and the Tender”. Its success has remained undiminished ever since, and the “Messiah” has taken its place in musical life. In 2009, to mark the 250th anniversary of Handel’s death, the British Library and Bärenreiter joined forces and made the autograph score of the “Messiah” available to the public in a meticulously reproduced, lavishly published facsimile. The renowned Handel scholar Donald Burrows introduces the characteristics of Handel’smanuscript, describes the history of the work’s composition, and explains the differences between later versions of the “Messiah”, as reflected in the conducting scores. A two-page sketch from the Fitzwilliam Museum Cambridge completes the publication. Facsimile of the autograph in the British Library. 282 + 2 pages of facsimile and 55 pages of introduction (English/German/Japanese) half-linen, hardback / Oratorio / Répertoire / Divers