Bärenreiter-Verlag has embarked on a major new project devoted to French music with the launch of a large-scale editorial project to publish the instrumental music of Camille Saint-Saëns in a 36-volume, historical-critical complete edition. The first volume to be published is a new edition of the Symphony in C minor op. 78, known as the Organ Symphony, edited by General Editor Michael Stegemann. The new edition will be launched on 11, 12 and 13 Dezember in the Philharmonie Cologne, performed by the Gürzenich-Orchester Cologne under the baton of its chief conductor François-Xavier Roth. His father Daniel Roth, titular organist at St. Sulpice in Paris, plays the organ. The concert will be broadcast on DeutschlandRadio Kultur, together with an in-depth studio discussion with the editor Michael Stegemann.

Gluck’s duties in Vienna included the provision of “music for the ballets”. His own compositions and pasticci, independent works in their own right, are now being published as part of the Gluck Complete Works.

The operas of Jean-Philippe Rameau have experienced a renaissance in German theatres in recent years. Now the Bayerische Staatsoper Munich is making its own contribution to this rekindled interest with a new production of the opéra-ballet Les Indes galantes, with its homage to exoticism. The first night is on 24 July 2016 in the Prinzregententheater. The choreography and production are by the Flemish-Maroccan dancer and choreographer Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui, and the conductor is Ivor Bolton, who has previously been involved in many baroque opera triumphs in Munich. Sylvie Bouissou, Editorial Director of the Opéra Omnia Rameau, has prepared the first critical edition of this work with meticulous accuracy. It survives in several versions, some differing from each other considerably, making this a highly complex editorial undertaking. 

Handel went to great trouble in the composition of his Te Deum marking the British victory in the Battle of Dettingen. Now the work is available as part of the Complete Edition.

Zadok the Priest and The King shall rejoice were composed in 1727 on the occasion of the coronation of George II. Since then, they have gone on to become extremely popular choral concert pieces throughout the world.

Handel’s opera Sosarme of 1732 will be performed at the Handel Festival in Halle for the first time using the Halle Handel Edition.

In their search for Baroque rarities, the Schwetzingen Festival has made a real find with Francesco Cavalli, whose opera Veremonda, L’Amazzone di Aragona, with its mastery of exoticism, has never previously been performed in Germany. Using the critical new edition by Wendy Heller (Opere di Franceso Cavalli) published by Bärenreiter, Concerto Köln performs, conducted by the Argentinian early music specialist Gabriel Garrido. Amélie Niermeyer directs in this co-production with the Staatstheater Mainz. The first performance in Schwetzingen is on 29 April, and the first in Mainz follows on 20 June 2016.