Carl Maria von Weber's fame rests mainly on ?Der Freischütz'. The unprecedented success of this opera overshadowed all his other works and contributed to their increasing fall into oblivion. Certain works such as ?Preciosa', ?Oberon', and ?Euryanthe', the overtures, solo concertos and piano sonatas, the lieder and chamber works enjoyed great popularity and were widely known in Germany and abroad as late as the second half of the 19th century. However, any chance of a revival of Weber's influential and substantial oeuvre was wasted in the 1920s, when a complete edition - begun by Hans Joachim Moser and with potential contributors including Wilhelm Kempff, Hans Pfitzner, Max von Schillings, Fritz Stein and Richard Strauss - failed after the third volume.Ever since there have been numerous attempts to restart a complete edition of Weber's works, but as this kind of project would have required the co-operation of scholars from both sides of the inter-German border, the political situation after 1945 was not conducive to any such enterprise. Careful negotiations led to the first tangible steps in the 1980s. The intention, right from the beginning, was to place Weber's work in context, and not to separate his musical output from his influential work as a writer, critic and organiser in the musical field, but to publish his compositions together with his letters, diaries and other literary output as the best way to document the cross-fertilisation between his musical, literary and practical activities.Since the German re-unification both working-parties concerned - at the Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin, and at the Musikwissenschaftliches Seminar, Detmold/Paderborn - have co-operated on the complete edition of the musical works (c. 45 volumes in 10 series: sacred music - cantatas, odes and other occasional works - stage works - lieder and vocal works - orchestral works - chamber music - music for piano - piano reductions - miscellanea, arrangements and orchestrations - works of doubtful attribution). The diaries (6-8 vols.) are edited in Berlin and the letters (8-10 vols.) and other writings (2 vols.) in Detmold. This complete edition aims to be a reliable basis of scholarly debate as well as for the authentic performance practice of Carl Maria von Weber's music. Conforming to the standards of recent historico-critical editions, the textual material will be based on all available authentic sources, accompanied by a detailed documentation of the genesis and a list of variants for each work. The musicological importance of the works will be evaluated by placing them in their historical context, the presentation of their genesis, history and Critical Commentaries. The letters, writings and diaries will be treated as inter-related and relevant to each other in the commentaries, therefore readers should benefit from a wealth of concise information and cross-references. / Score

Rhapsodie. Par JANACEK LEOS. The rhapsody for orchestra “Taras Bulba” is the most important and on account of its genesis the most interesting of the three programmatic orchestral works the composer wrote between 1914 and 1920. All three of these works were responses to the contemporary social and political context: “The Fiddler’s Child” was an indictment of the state of society, “Taras Bulba” was a reaction to the international conflict of World War I, while “The Ballad of Blaník” was inspired by the birth of Czechoslovakia. “Taras Bulba” is now available in the New Conductor Score series. These completely redesigned scores stand out due to their carefully researched critical report and a highly legible, clean notation, all in the trusted Universal Edition quality./ Répertoire / Orchestre

Par HAENDEL GEORG FRIEDRICH. ?Giulio Cesare in Egitto? is by far Handel?s most frequently performed opera owing its success not least to its subject matter, one of the best known love stories in world history. Already during Handel?s lifetime the popular work was often staged and therefore adapted by Handel for each of the performance conditions. The editor Hans Dieter Clausen has succeeded in editorially defining and practically presenting these adaptations ? essentially four versions ? on the basis of a meticulous study of the sources within the framework of the ?Halle Handel Edition?. The new edition allows for a performance of each of the four versions. The version of 1725 is particularly noteworthy because Handel newly devised the role of Sesto for the famous tenor Francesco Borosini. The libretto shows the Roman dictator Cesar in a friendly light. He instructs his enemy, the Egyptian tyrant Tolomeo, how to treat adversaries: he reconciles the widow and son of his enemy Pompeo who was murdered by Tolomeo: he is generous and just, hands on, but also diplomatic, thoughtful, aware of the limits of his power, and susceptible for art and nature. However, the actual protagonist of the opera is Cleopatra. In a masterly way Handel develops her character musically. In his extensive Foreword Hans Dieter Clausen not only decribes the genesis, historical background, reception and the edition of the opera, he also examines the musical and dramaturgical reworking of individual numbers in ?Giulio Cesare?. Handel was such an expert in adapting arias for new purposes and other characters that he did not only meet the needs at hand but often the new version surpassed the original. In this way, the reader gains, in passing, a well-founded insight into Handel?s work methods when designing and redevising his characters. The detailed Critical Commentary includes information on the comprehensive and highly complex source situation as well as on individual editorial decisions./ Répertoire / Chant et Orchestre

Rameau's 'Les Fêtes de l'Hymen et de l'Amour? was long considered second-rate because its première was associated with a political event. Yet this ballet abounds in novel dramaturgical effects that foreshadow his later operas, such as 'Zaïs?, 'Zoroastre? and 'Les Boréades?. Working together with his librettist Cahusac, Rameau sought to weave the dance numbers, choruses and stage machinery more tightly into the main plot. He also experimented with stylistic devices unique to this work, the most famous being unquestionably the scene in which the Nile overflows its banks (an impressive ten-voice double chorus with solo voices and orchestra) and the sextet from 'Aruéris?, a scoring found nowhere else in his oeuvre.For the first time, this scholarly-critical edition of 'Les Fêtes de l'Hymen et de l'Amour? presents a reference version of the work that is based on all the major sources for both the libretto and the music, including two recent musical discoveries. As most of the performance material for the première has vanished, our edition is based on the version prepared for the Académie Royale de Musique in 1748.- Milestone of French Baroque opera in performance practice orientated vocal score- With a brief foreword (Fr/Eng) containing salient information on the genesis of the work, the synopsis and the edition / Orchestre

Eine Tondichtung In Symphonieform In Zwei Teilen und Fünf Sätzen. Par MAHLER GUSTAV. “Titan”, the early five-movement version of the “Symphony No. 1”, has never been published before. Universal Edition is proud to make this score available for the first time in connection with the Complete New Critical Edition. Mahler composed the work at the beginning of 1888 in Leipzig. In 1889 it was subsequently premiered as a “symphonic poem” in Budapest. Our first edition of “Titan” contains the history of its genesis, reviews of the performances in Hamburg and Weimar, a discussion of the programmes and the underlying ideas behind the work, colour prints of important sources, and an extensive critical commentary that describes the variants, problematic passages and all editorial interpolations. At this point, we would like to refer to a statement by the International Gustav Mahler Society (IGMG), which is very concerned about Mahler editions that are not up to date with musicological research and thus cannot do justice to the composer's intentions. To the statement (click in the top right corner to read in English)/ Répertoire / Orchestre

The Bohuslav Martinu Complete Edition III/1/5. Par MARTINU BOHUSLAV. “Incarnation” (1956), Bohuslav Martinu’s fourth piano concerto, follows an atypical two-movement structure. It was composed for Martinu’s friend Rudolf Firkušný, who played from a copy of the autograph until 1970, when the composition was first put into print. The next work, “Concerto in B flat major for Piano and Orchestra”, known under the name “Fantasia Concertante”, was to be Martinu’s very last concert work. The concerto in three movements, composed at the request of Swiss pianist Margrit Weber, is quite different from the previous work in terms of its compositional means. In this case, Martinu strongly influenced the edition of the work. The present volume of the Complete Edition of works by Bohuslav Martinu is based mainly on contemporary copies containing the composer’s own modifications. The edition presents numerous new findings about the genesis of both works./ Recueil / Orchestre

Beethoven, Ludwig vanLeonore Overture for Orchestra no. 3- The most popular of the ?Leonore? overtures- Based on the G. Henle Complete Edition of the ?Works of Ludwig van Beethoven?- Orchestral parts in an enlarged format (25.5 cm x 32.5 cm)Of the four overtures that Beethoven composed for his only opera, the ?Leonore Overture? No. 3 is the most popular. The first reviewer found fault with it for its ?incessant dissonances and overblown fluttering of the violins? (Wiener Theater-Zeitung, 1806), but it soon became famous as ?one of the most imposing, difficult, yet richest and strangest of compositions? (Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung, 1810). This version of the ?Leonore Overture? quickly established itself independently of the stage in the concert hall and has found a lasting place in the symphonic repertoire.The editor has devoted herself to the complex genesis of the various ?Leonore Overture? versions, in particular the question whether the trumpet call in measures 272?277 and 294?299 should be played by one or two instruments. The edition is based on the Complete Edition of the ?Works of Ludwig van Beethoven? issued by the G. Henle publishing company. / Grand format / Barenreiter

The standard edition!Now that all the scores, Critical Commentaries and complete performance materials have been published for Beethoven's five Piano Concertos(BA 9021-9025), Bärenreiter are now presenting the five study score editions in a boxed set. The musical text reflects a judicious study of every surviving source, producing an Urtext edition at the very highest level.Rounding off the edition are an informative Introduction by Beethoven scholar Barry Cooper on the genesis of the works and a Foreword by the renowned editor Jonathan Del Mar describing the sources and the editorial approach.- Bärenreiter Urtext edition at the cutting edge of scholarship- The standard edition for pianists, students, conductors and libraries- Attractively priced boxed setThe study scores are not available separately at present. / Conducteur De Poche

Beethoven?s sacred works include two settings of the Mass. The ?Mass in C major?, completed and premiered in 1807, has been unjustly described as a preliminary step towards the great ?Missa solemnis?. Yet it is a self-contained and, for its time, decidedly modern piece of church music. Drawing on the rich body of sources, Beethoven specialist Barry Cooper suggests practical solutions to the work?s musical and interpretative problems. His deep study of the sources convinced him to include a fully realized organ part in the score, just as Beethoven envisioned it for the first printed edition. As stated in the sources, the parts for the soloists and choir are notated on joint staves to demonstrate that the soloists are also to sing the choral passages. Rounding off this Urtext edition are a Foreword on the work?s genesis and a detailed Critical Commentary. ? Score with realization of the organ part ? Bilingual Foreword (Eng/Ger) and Critical Commentary (Eng) ? Idiomatic piano reduction