During the fasting season in Handel's London, dramatic works were not allowed to be performed. This prompted the composer to revive an Italian oratorio he had composed thirty years earlier in 1737 and enrich it with choruses.

Georg Friedrich Handel's "Song for Cecilia's Day" HWV 76, composed in 1739, underwent, like many works of genius, revisions and expansions. The new volume in the "Halle Handel Edition" includes all early and late versions, enabling historically informed performance practice based on the latest source evaluation.

Unlike Bach’s other oratorio compositions, there is no definitive version of the St. John Passion. The first version of 1724 which is today’s standard version represents a mixture of different readings but it was not performed like this during Bach’s lifetime. On the other hand, the second version of 1725, now edited by Manuel Bärwald for Bärenreiter, was performed under the direction of Bach himself and can therefore be considered authentic. In addition to a change in order of several movements, the second version differs from the earlier version by the use of the opening chorus “O Mensch, bewein”. The score and the complete performance material correspond to the Urtext edition of Version II which was published 2021 as part of the “New Bach Edition – Revised Edition” (NBArev). – More Information

Miroslav Srnka’s orchestral work “Superorganisms” will be premiered by the NHK Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Ryan Wigglesworth in Tokyo on 27 June 2023 after the scheduled premiere in Berlin had to be postponed due to illness. Superorganisms are forms of existence in which kindred beings work together synergistically and in a self-organized manner. An example for superorganisms in human culture are symphony orchestras – and this is where Miroslav Srnka’s new work comes in.

The rental material of the renowned music publisher Ut Orpheus Edizioni, founded and based in Bologna in 1993, will now be distributed worldwide by Alkor-Edition, with the exception of Italy. The attractive catalogue, dedicated primarily to early music, includes the complete editions of Francesco Geminiani, Luigi Boccherini (portrait) and Muzio Clementi. Of particular interest is the “Napoli e l‘Europa” series initiated by Riccardo Muti, featuring previously unpublished operas and oratorios of the Neapolitan School, including “I due Figaro” by Saverio Mercadante and “Demofoonte” by Niccoló Jommelli, A real gem is the Dramma per musica “Francesca da Rimini” by Saverio Mercadante (1795–1870), premiered in 2016 at the Festival della Valle d'Itria Martina Franca. It will be performed for the first time beyond the Alps in the current season as a co-production of the Tiroler Festspiele Erl and Oper Frankfurt, in Erl from 28 December 2022, in Frankfurt from 26 February 2023.

Posterity has never really been satisfied with Süßmayr’s completion of Mozart’s Requiem, so that many other completions have been made. Now Michael Ostrzyga (b. 1975) has presented a new version. As conductor, composer and Music Director at the University of Cologne, Ostrzyga is someone with practical experience. But he is also a composer, trained and experienced in analysis, arranging, orchestrating and creating works in different styles. He has immersed himself long and intensively in Mozart’s musical language. In conversation, he told Christoph Schulte im Walde about his approach.

Miroslav Srnka has composed a concerto for the harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani and the Gürzenich-Orchester Cologne. François-Xavier Roth conducts the world premiere of "Standstill" on 11 September in Cologne. Three questions on his new work to the composer.