SKU: BA.BA08362-01
Edited by Bernhard
Hangartner, Cristina
Hospenthal, Laurenz
Lütteken, Max
Schiendorfer, and
Mechthild
Sobiela-Caanitz. This
edition: Complete
edition. Linen. Das
Deutsche Kirchenlied.
Kritische Gesamtausgabe
der Melodien II/7.
Complete edition,
Critical commentary,
anthology. Baerenreiter
Verlag #BA08362_01.
Published by Baerenreiter
Verlag (BA.BA08362-01).
ISBN 9790006496471.
27.5 x 20 cm
inches.
Georg Anton
Benda's melodrama
,,Medea(1775) was one of
the most successful
German musical theatre
works of the late 18th
century. With a libretto
by Friedrich Wilhelm
Gotter, the work soon
became a great influence
within the melodrama
genre. For several
decades, it was performed
all over central Europe,
developing an impressive
reception history.
Between 1775 and about
1790, the melodrama was
considered an extremely
popular (albeit
controversial) part of
musical theatre, in
particular in
German-speaking regions.
Consequently, Benda's
,,Medeawas at the center
of many heated
debates.
Unlike
opera, the melodrama does
not present the libretto
in sung form, but rather,
the text is spoken and
combined with orchestral
music and scenes. The
traditional opera forms
(aria, recitative,
ensemble, chorus) are
dissolved and replaced by
a new interplay of music,
speech, and scenes. A
focus on a single
protagonist and the
quick, delicate
alternation between
spoken text and music
allows for the
development of
conflicting and
contradictory
psychological profiles
with a heightened
intensity within the
melodrama.
Near
the end of his life,
Benda revised the work
significantly, drawing
from his experience of
real performances and
their effectiveness. The
changes leading to the
new version of his
,,Medeamusic were quite
extensive, affecting
almost every single
measure: numerous details
of the part writing
(tempi, voice leading,
rhythms, accompanying
figures etc.) were
revised, the
instrumentation was
changed, middle voices
were led in a more lively
manner, and the music as
a whole was shortened and
effectively compressed.
The composer regarded the
latter, modified
,,Medeaas the authorized
version of the work. The
premiere took place in
1784 in Mannheim,
however, the altered work
received little attention
since then and has become
tangible again for the
first time with the OPERA
Edition. All previous
editions of the work -
and along with them, all
previous recordings - are
based on the earlier
version of
1775.
The third
volume of the OPERA
seriesMedeacontains a
linen-bound book and the
edirom on a USB stick in
credit card format. The
number of users permitted
to simultaneously use the
digital content of the
edition is not
limited.
For
further information
regarding the work and
the OPERA series, please
visit www.opera-e
dition.com and Takte
online
