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

Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott BWV 80 (A Mighty Fortress is our God)Cantata for the Feast of ReformationThere are practically no surviving original sources for Bach's great Reformation Cantata 'Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott'. It is possible that the original form of the Cantata was written in Weimar in 1715 to which Bach later made various additions and alterations to transform it into a Reformation Cantata for Leipzig. Although scholarly opinion as to the sources is divided there is no doubt that the opening chorus based on Martin Luther's chorale melody 'Ein feste Burg' is one of Bach's greatest achievements.Urtext ofthe New Bach EditionPerformance material (BA10080) vocal score (BA10080-90) & study score format 22.5 x 16.5cm (TP1080) available for sale

Lutheran Mass 3-Mass G minor BWV 235 'Lutheran Mass No.3'for Alto solo Tenor solo Bass solo mixed choir (SATB) and orchestraOften overshadowed by the more famous Mass in B minor the four Lutheran Masses feature glorious choruses and sincerely moving arias. They are largely taken from various cantata movements and adapted to the Mass texts. Urtext of the New Bach EditionFull score performance material and vocal score for all 4 Masses (BA5182-BA5185) available for sale

Fassung IV-with the unfinished revision [1739] an an appendix. The St. John Passion ranks among the great vocal works from Bach?s Leipzig years. In contrast to his other large-scale choral works however Bach never gave this work a definitive final form. Rather for every performance he made numerous changes. All previous editions of the St. John Passion have combined readings from various layers of sources. The wish often expressed by conductors to perform an authentic version is made possible for the first time with the present edition in this fourth and final version which was performed under Bach?s direction in 1749. At the same time with the aid of the appendix it is possibleto perform the work in the traditional ?mixed version.?

Lutheran Mass 2-Often overshadowed by the more famous Mass in B minor the four Lutheran Masses feature glorious choruses and sincerely moving arias. They are largely taken from various cantata movements and adapted to the Mass texts.- Urtext of the New Bach Edition- Full score performance material and vocal score for all 4 Masses (BA5182-BA5185) available for sale

Lutheran Mass 2-Often overshadowed by the more famous Mass in B minor the four Lutheran Masses feature glorious choruses and sincerely moving arias. They are largely taken from various cantata movements and adapted to the Mass texts.- Urtext of the New Bach Edition- Full score performance material and vocal score for all 4 Masses (BA5182-BA5185) available for sale

Charles Gounod's Requiem Op. Posth in C for SATB and Piano.Charles Gounod composed this Requiem under the impact of the death of his four-year-old grandson Maurice. According to information handed down while finishing the details of this work he was overtaken by death. It was published posthumously in various constellations by his pupil Henri Busser but the only complete version from the pen of Gounod is the version for large orchestra which is published here for the first time in a critical edition.Gounod?s Requiem unlike many contemporary settings of the Mass of the Dead is not characterized by darkness and terror. Rather with all of itstrepidation expressed through a marked chromaticism an atmosphere of hopeful expectation of trust in the grace and equity of the divine judge predominates. This confidence finds its expression in the choice of the fundamental key of C major which is rather unusual for a requiem. The work was given an impressive performance on the occasion of the first anniversary of Gounod?s death in the Parisian church of Sainte-Madeleine under the direction of Gabriel Fauré and it was highly acclaimed by the contemporary press.

Composed in 1978 this is a setting of a Dutch traditional carol. The work opens with an extended passage for solo Oboe molto rubato. The vocal writing includes sections for various combinations of voice-parts both with and without the Oboe. A further solo oboe passage brings the work soflty to a close. Suitable for advanced standard performers. The oboe part is available as a free download from Boosey.com.