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

Opera In Three Acts. Par SAINT-SAENS CAMILLE. Today, 'Samson et Dalila? is undoubtedly one of the best-known of Camille Saint-Saëns's thirteen operas, being more present in the repertoire of international stages than most other French 19th century compositions. During Saint-Saëns's lifetime, the opera was already regarded as the pinnacle of his dramatic stage works. The fact that the work's genesis and first performances nonetheless posed substantial difficulties is shown in this edition by Andreas Jacob and Fabien Guilloux (libretto edition). A detailed recount of this complex history, based on meticulous comparisons of all libretti and other musical sources, is the great merit of this critical edition. The edition contains the full score, edited versions of both original libretti, a historical Foreword (Fr/En/Ger), a Critical Commentary (Eng), facsimile pages of 'Livret de mise-en-scène? from the first Paris production, and a musical appendix containing the 'Air de Ballet? (which was inserted before the Bacchanale in act 3 for performances at the Paris Opéra). The underlaid text in the score is presented in two languages and contains the libretto text by Ferdinand Lemaire as well as the text of the Weimar premiere by Richard Pohl (1877), a performance that was initiated by Franz Liszt./ Répertoire / Chant et Orchestre

Taking Thomas Hardy's short story as its starting point, we are transported to the present for a contemporary take on the novella which explores the power the mind can have over that person's actions. A closed door sparks an obsession so strong that the boundaries between reality and fantasy begin to blur.Ella and her high-finance husband Stephen rent a room in a holiday home on the coast, owned by Susan. Ella discovers that a locked room in the house is rented by a poet - Ben Pascoe - whose work holds a deep fascination for her. The room is held for Pascoe, though he visits rarely.Ella's obsession with Pascoe grows in parallel with the progress of Stephen's biggest City deal. She begins by imagining the poet's voice as she reads his work, but this quickly grows to fantasised encounters with Pascoe in his locked room. Stephen returns from the City and makes love to Ella, but it is not him she wishes for. We see the real Pascoe only once, with Susan.As Stephen's financial dreams are realised and Ella's fantasy consumes her, she learns of Pascoe's death. Despite her changed circumstances, Ella chooses to stay in her new world. / Opéra

Phaedra by German composer Hans Werner Henze is a 'concert opera' in two acts whose first performance was given at the Berlin State Opera in 2007. Phaedra was Henze's penultimate opera, and this item presents the vocal score, with the entire work lasting around 75 minutes. The parts are for Mezzo-Soprano, Soprano, Tenor, Countertenor, Bass Baritone, as well as a mime.Featuring a unique libretto by Christian Lehnert and sound effects by Francesco Antonioni, this opera presents the wonderful story of Phaedra, filled with drama and fantastic music. This Vocal Score presents the work in German and English language, with German lyrics.Phaedra was co-commissioned and co-produced by Staatsoper Unter den Linden Berlin, Berliner Festspiele, Théâtre de la Monnaie Brussels, Alte Oper Frankfurt and Wiener Festwochen. Hans Werner Henze was a hugely prolific composer who drew influences from a wide number of sources. Phaedra is regarded as among his greatest works and would certainly make for a stunning performance. / Chant Et Piano

Par SULLIVAN ARTHUR. This opera opened April 23, 1881 at the Opera Comique and ran for 578 performances at both the Opera Comique and Savoy Theatres. The county dames are in love with two poets while the poets are both in love with Patience, the village milkmaid. The brigade men don't see the point to aesthetics, but decide they had better give it a try to win the women's love. / Vocal Music / Répertoire / Voix