Tito Manlio was performed for the fi rst time in Mantua as second work of the Carnival season of winter 1719. Vivaldi set the libretto of La fi da ninfa, a dramma per musica in three acts by Scipione Maffei, with a view to its use for the inauguration of the new theatre of the Accademia Filarmonica of Verona, which took place on 6 January 1732, during the Carnival season, elaborate stage sets bein…

Arr. Wil Van Der Beek. Par HAENDEL GEORG FRIEDRICH. It is interesting to recall that Handel wrote Messiah, his most famous work whilst at the lowest point of his career, suffereing from fianantial hardship and depression. It was only composing that distracted him from this misery. In He Shall Feed His Flock, based on texts of Isaiah and Matthew, we hear praise for the peace that the Messiah has br…

Par DE HAAN JAN. This substantial work by Jan de Haan explores the many tonal qualities of the brass band. Following a quiet opening theme based on Phrygian tonality the band bursts into life with a massive climax. Following a jolly second theme characterised by large interval jumps peace and quiet is again restored. Both themes are developed with many poignant solo figures until we reach a resoun…

Ma mre l'oye (Mother Goose Suite) is typical of Ravel's style with its modal melodies, use of dance forms and rhythmic precision. For this suite, Ravel selected favorite French fairy tales with references to fantasy, dreams and legends of childhood, and provided simple and delicate settings for piano duet (one piano, four hands). Although featuring childhood themes, Ma mre l'oye is at the late int…

Full Score. Par PUCCINI GIACOMO. The premiere of La Bohème took place at the Teatro Regio in Turin on 1 February 1896. Giuseppe Giacosa and Luigi Illica based their libretto for this opera on Scènes de la vie de Bohème by Henry Murger. It took Puccini only a fewmonths to complete a score brimming with wonderful melodic invention and orchestrational genius. The music is a surprisingly supple and se…

The premiere of the Azione teatrale 'Orfeo ed Euridice? took place in Vienna in 1762 and plays a significant role in the history of the music theatre.With this work, the composer for the first time rejected the rigid conventions of the Italian opera seria and made an important first contribution towards the renewal of opera genre.In collaboration with his librettist Calzabigi, Gluck reduced the pl…

Op. 109. Par MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY FELIX. This standard work of the cello literature has been extracted from volume II of the Complete Works for Violoncello and Pianoforte (BA 9096 and BA 9097) which was published in 2016. Mendelssohn scholar R. Larry Todd edited the scholarly-critical edition of ?Song without Words?. This work is not based on the surviving autograph manuscript, which could not h…

Mozart's 'Missa in C major? (K. 220), nicknamed the 'Sparrow Mass? for its frequently recurring characteristic motifs in the violins, has retained a firm place in the choral repertoire to the present day. Now it has been arranged for female choir and is appearing as part of the recently started 'Bärenreiter Female Choir? series.Heribert Breuer has judiciously transferred the tenor and bass solos t…