Oper in Funf Akten Version 1756. Par RAMEAU JEAN-PHILIPPE. Richer than ever ? Rameau?s ?Zoroastre? in the version of 1756. Opera in five acts. Rameau?s revised version of his opera ?Zoroastre?, which could be heard and seen between 20 January 1756 and 26 March 1757 at the Académie royale de musique, was favourably received. Also from today?s point of view the work profits dramaturgically from many of the changes and seems altogether richer and more tightly woven than the original of 1749. The subject matter of the libretto, derived from Ancient Persian sources, is timeless: the struggle between good and bad. The good is embodied by the religious reformer Zoroastre, a representative of the supreme light being Orosmade. He is opposed by the ambitious magician Abramane who serves Ariman, the spirit of the dark. The opera includes some of Rameau?s most ecstatic and spiritual musical numbers, such as the episode of sun worship in Act 3 with the sublime ?Hymne à la Lumière?, which, for unknown reasons, was not integrated in the revision of 1756. It is therefore included in Appendix 3 of this Bärenreiter edition. Incidentally, with ?Zoroastre? the prologue, wh ich had been customary since the beginnings of French opera in the 1670s, was abandoned. Instead Rameau was the first to introduce an overture which set the scene for the entire drama and thereby anticipated Gluck?s opera reform by many years. - One of Rameau?s main works for the stage, now available with all its versions - With a straight-forward piano reduction in the vocal score by François Saint-Yves - Available on sale full score (B0A8867-01) and vocal score (BA08867-90) - Performance material available for hire BA08867-72 - Jean-Philippe Rameau - Opera Omnia (OOR) IV/26 / Date parution : 2022-07-30/ Répertoire / Chant et Piano

Tragédie-opéra in three acts. Paris Version 1776.In 1774 Gluck had committed himself to supplying six stage works to the Academie Royale de Musique in Paris. This job he fulfilled partially by reworking works which had already been premiered in Vienna.In the case of the Paris Alceste (1776) which Gluck had also originally composed for Vienna (1767) the composer created a completely new version which was to become the prototype of the so-called reform opera. The libretto was translated from the former Italian into French and was altered at the same time but also the music was fundamentally changed: Gluck newlycomposed the recitatives and rearranged enlarged or cut scenes.The initial rejection of the work by the audience caused him to further alter the third act for example by adding the character of Hercules as Alceste's saviour. In this form the opera finally became a big success.- Full score (BA2291) available for sale; performance material (BA2291-72) available for hire.