Felix Mendelssohn Bartholdy »Ruy Blas« Overture op. 95 Bärenreiter Urtext Edited by Christopher Hogwood BA 9054 Score c. EUR 39.95 Wind Set c. EUR 75.00 Strings each c. EUR 5.95
in preparation	The overture »Ruy Blas«, the fourth in Bärenreiter’s series of Great Mendelssohn Overtures in Urtext editions, was composed in 1839 for a performance in Leipzig of Victor Hugo’s play (1838) of the same name. Mendelssohn’s effective overture calls for four horns and three trombones giving it the largest orchestral forces of his concert overtures. Mendelssohn claimed to have written the overture and had the parts copied out in just six days, just in time for rehearsals and the first performance on the following day. As with many Mendelssohn compositions, »Ruy Blas« has come down to us in more than one version. The new Bärenreiter Urtext edition presents Mendelssohn’s autograph score of the first version and the final version back to back whereby the score to the final version contains numerous ossias with material from a dedication score given by Mendelssohn to Queen Victoria of England. The parts clearly present all three versions following eachother. The new Bärenreiter edition contains an informative introduction (English and German) and a detailed critical commentary (English) with facsimile examples of the sources.