Monteverdi's opera 'L'Orfeo', based on the legend of Thracian singer Orpheus and his love of Eurydice, is a masterpiece of musical declamation and ornamentation. It was first performed during the 1607 carnevale in the 'Palazzo Ducale' in Mantua.When an edition remains true to its sources, this certainly does not mean that it is not also practical to use, as is demonstrated in this Bärenreiter edition of Monteverdi's 'L'Orfeo'. Edited by Rinaldo Alessandrini, the new publication follows the Bärenreiter edition of Monteverdi's 'Il ritorno d'Ulisse in patria'.Two contemporary prints of 'L'Orfeo' from the years 1609 and 1615 have been passed down to us. Four copies of each of these prints still survive today in public libraries. The later print includes many corrections to the earlier edition and was accordingly used as the primary source for this Bärenreiter edition. However, when solving musical problems the editor frequently follows the more coherent style of the earlier print. The numerous interesting variants, not only between the two editions but also amongst the eight surviving copies, are listed in the critical commentary.This edition of 'L'Orfeo' offers in addition to Monteverdi's somewhat sparse original figures also figures added to the bass line by the editor. The continuo player should, however, feel free to follow his own judgment. The notation has been, when necessary, adapted to suit modern practice, for example with regard to the clefs. The sections that were originally written in 'chiavetta' have been transposed a fifth lower. In the appendix these sections also appear in their original notation in facsimile as well as transposed a fourth lower.- Detailed introduction by the editor (Ital/Eng/Ger) on the work's genesis and performance practice- Comprehensive critical commentary (Eng) in the score- Idiomatic piano reductionEdition no.: BA 8793-90ISMN: 9790006533121Composer / Author: Monteverdi, ClaudioTitle: L'Orfeo Favola in musica in one prologue and five actsDetailed instrumentation: Soprano solo (7), Tenor solo (4), Bass solo (3), Mixed choir: SSATTB, Male choir: TTBBB, OrchestraLibrettist: Striggio, Alessandro (junior)Editor: Alessandrini, RinaldoForeword / Introduction: Alessandrini, RinaldoProduct format: Piano reduction, Urtext editionLanguage(s) of work: ItalianLanguage(s) of text: German, Italian, EnglishPublisher: BärenreiterBinding: PaperbackPrint run: 1st printing 2012Pages / Format: XIV, 143 S. - 27,0 x 19,0 cmWeight: 428 g

Par CAVALLI FRANCESCO. In 1662, Cavalli’s career was at its zenith. The two dozen operas he had written for Venice had helped establish Venice as the world’s first operatic superpower. “Scipione Affricano” (Venice 1664), Cavalli’s first opera after returning from France, was one of his most successful compositions. In a period that valued new works over familiar ones, “Scipione” was one of a handful of operas to live on after its premiere season: it was revived eight times and chosen to inaugurate Rome’s Teatro Tordinona in 1671. Cavalli’s librettist, Nicolò Minato, was inspired by historical accounts of the life of the Roman general Scipio, whose defeat of Carthage in 202 BCE earned him the honorary agnomen “Africanus.” In setting Minato’s libretto, Cavalli drew upon the lyrical gifts that have made operas like “La Calisto” and “Giasone” so popular today. But at the same time “Scipione Affricano” also shows the composer embracing aspects of his two years in France, and responding to musical changes that, in the 1660s, were rapidly altering the face of Italian opera: the growing dominance of arias, a clearer sense of aria organization, and increased interplay between voice and instruments. The first goal of this edition is a practical one: to develop a version of the opera suited to the needs of both professional and student performers. A second goal is to reconstruct the opera’s complete performance history. An amply documented appendix reconstructs earlier versions of 21 arias. Other appendices print the surviving additional music from revivals in Rome and Venice. The edition is framed by a substantial Introduction, covering the drama, the musical style, the composition, premiere, and revivals, and a guide for performance today, plus a detailed “decoding” of the sources. - series Francesco Cavalli – Opere / Date parution : 2022-11-08/ Répertoire / Opéra

Comédie (Laxenburg 1765) Gluck Complete Works IV/4. Par GLUCK CHRISTOPH WILLIBALD. The critical edition presents the music to the verse comedy “Soliman second, ou Les Trois Sultanes” by Charles-Simon Favart (1710–1792), which was performed before the Viennese courtly audience in the Schlosstheater Laxenburg by the French troupe of the Burgtheater on 18 May 1765. This is the first time that Gluck’s music to the Favartian comedy has appeared in print. A popular comedy which in particular was known for its exotic colour, “Soliman second” quickly made its mark on many European stages. Through the good offices of the court theatre director Count Durazzo, the libretto made its way to Vienna too. As “Direttore della Musica” at Vienna’s Burgtheater and an accomplished writer of French opéras-comiques, Gluck may have been commissioned to compose the vocal numbers – four solo airs and a duet – which were meant to be performed in the comedy. As far as can be established, Gluck’s involvement in incidental music is an exception in his artistic output. In addition to the detailed introduction to the history of the work, the volume contains the Critical Report providing exhaustive information on the source material, editorial technique and performance practice. The libretto for the premiere performance and illustrative extracts from the sources are reproduced in facsimile./ Répertoire / Opéra