Oratorio in three parts. Par HAENDEL GEORG FRIEDRICH. 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 / Oratorio / Répertoire / Choeur Mixte

Ed. Critica Di Alessandro Borin - Ril. Brochure. Par VIVALDI ANTONIO. La Gloria e Imeneo, RV 687, belongs to a group of so-called ‘French serenatas’ by Antonio Vivaldi, namely a series of works composed and performed between the mid-1710s and mid- 1720s of the eighteenth century in celebration of importantrecurrent and non-recurrent events relating to the Kingdom of France and its diplomatic representatives resident in Italy. This serenata was indeed commissioned from Vivaldi by the French ambassador in Venice, Jacques-Vincent Languet, Count of Gergy, on the occasion of the wedding of Louis XV to the Polish princess Maria Leszczyska, and was performed during a festa that took place in the ambassador’s garden on the evening of 12 September 1725. This critical edition is based on the autographscore held by Biblioteca Nazionale Universitaria of Turin. It also includes an Introduction that describes the genesis and the first performance of the Serenata, the state of the sources and its musical content. The critical edition includes anapparatus that records all the variants between the autograph score and the secondary collate sources, and a diplomatic- interpretative edition of the poetic text, inferred – since no libretto has come down to us – by the words underlaid to the notesin the manuscript of the serenata. La Gloria E Imeneo, RV 687, belongs to a group of so-called ‘ French serenatas' by Antonio Vivaldi, namely a series of works composed and performed between the mid-1710s and mid-1720s of the eighteenth century in celebration of important recurrent and non-recurrent events relating to the Kingdom of France and its diplomatic representatives resident in Italy. This serenata was indeed commissioned from Vivaldi by the French ambassador in Venice, Jacques-Vincent Languet, Count of Gergy, on the occasion of the wedding of Louis XV to the Polish princess Maria Leszczyska, and was performed during a festa that took place inthe ambassador's garden on the evening of 12 September 1725. This critical edition is based on the autograph score held by Biblioteca Nazionale Universitaria of Turin. It also includes an Introduction that describes the genesis and the first performance of the Serenata, the state of the sources and its musical content. The critical edition includes an apparatus that records all the variants between the autograph score and the secondary collate sources, and a diplomatic- interpretative edition of the poetic text, inferred & since no libretto has come down to us & by the words underlaid to the notes in the manuscript of the serenata. / Niveau : Intermédiaire à Avancé / Classique / Date parution : 1905-07-08/ Répertoire / SATB, Violon, Alto et Basse Continue

Par VERDI GIUSEPPE. The first critical edition of Verdi's Requiem with complete performance material for sale. The edition is based on the autograph as the primary source and makes accessible one of the most important requiem settings of the 19th century in a modern scholarly edition. In particular, articulation, phrasing and dynamics are often indicated more precisely than in previous, well-known editions. By means of parallel passages, editorial additions attempt to make Verdi's intentions clearer through the judicious use of diacritical markings. A clearly organized disposition of the engraved music makes the full score and vocal score easy to read. Outstanding legibility of the parts. With an excellently playable vocal score by Paul Horn in tried and true quality. As a reasonably-priced alternative, a choral score is also available. With a foreword in three languages and a critical report. Among Verdi's many compositions, as a work of sacred music, the Requiem remains unique. It was composed as a musical memorial for the Italian national poet Alessandro Manzoni, deeply admired by Verdi, and was first performed on the first anniversary of his death on 22 May 1874 in Milan Cathedral. The exploration of many extremes places Verdi's tonal language wholly in the service of a dramatized liturgy./ Répertoire / Choeur Mixte (SATB) et Orchestre

Par FRANCOIS / BOURTAYRE. / Niveau : Difficile / Répertoire / Choeur (SATB) et Orchestre à vent