Edgar
Giacomo Puccini (arr. Johan de Meij)
Subtitle: Symphonic Suite from the Opera
General Info
Year: 1889 / 2008
Duration: c. 13:30
Difficulty: IV (see Ratings for explanation)
Original Medium: Orchestra
Publisher: Amstel
Cost: Score and Parts (print) - €210.00 | Score Only (print) - €38.00
Instrumentation
Full Score
C Piccolo/Flute III
Flute I-II
Oboe I-II
English Horn in F
Bassoon I-II
E-flat Soprano Clarinet
B-flat Soprano Clarinet I-II-III
B-flat Bass Clarinet
E-flat Alto Saxophone I-II
B-flat Tenor Saxophone
E-flat Baritone Saxophone
B-flat Trumpet I-II-III
Horn in F I-II-III-IV
Trombone I-II-III
Euphonium
Tuba
String Bass
Harp
Timpani
Percussion I-II, including:
- Bass Drum
- Bells
- Crash Cymbals
- Tambourine
- Tam-Tam
- Triangle
Errata
None discovered thus far.
Program Notes
Giacomo Puccini was commissioned to write a second opera after the resounding success of his first, Le Villi. However, the original four-act, grand opera Edgar, to a libretto by Ferdinando Fontana, received a rather lukewarm reception at its première in La Scala in Milan in 1889 – initially, the work was only performed three times. Of all the planned performances in the subsequent two years, only one took place, in Lucca, Puccini’s birthplace. There, the work was well received. Nevertheless, the composer decided to make drastic changes to Edgar, the most radical being the reduction of the opera to three acts, as well as altering a few arias, characters and instrumental parts. In its revised form, the work was even less popular than before. The discarded fourth act later provided material for Tosca (the duet Amoro sol’ per te), but Puccini never felt the need to defend Edgar – as he did other less fortunate operas, such as La Rondine and Suor Angelica. On a piano excerpt for his female friend Sybil Seligman he even corrupted the title to ‘E Dio ti GuARda da quest’ opera’ (may God preserve you from this opera). This did not prevent Arturo Toscanini performing the Requiem from the third act at Puccini’s funeral in Milan Cathedral on 3 December 1924.
It was not until the 1970s that interest in and appreciation of Edgar steadily increased, after the work was first recorded in 1977. The Carmen-like plot (the confused young man Edgar hesitating between the love of the virtuous Fidelia and the exotic Tigrana) and the refined music make Edgar an opera that is worthy to be heard again.
- Program Note by Anthony Fiumara
Commercial Discography
Media
State Ratings
None discovered thus far.
Performances
To submit a performance please join The Wind Repertory Project
- San Francisco Wind Ensemble (San Mateo, Calif.) (Johan de Meij, conductor) – 20 January 2018
Works for Winds by This Composer
- Angelo del Cielo (arr. de Meij) (1917/2007)
- Ch'ella Mi Creda (arr. de Meij) (1910/2008)
- Christmas Scene from "La Bohème" (arr. Morita) (1896/2002)
- Corazzata Sicilia (ed. Creux) (1897/2017)
- Donde Lieta from "La Bohème" (arr. Kreines) (1896/)
- Edgar (arr. de Meij) (1889/2008)
- Fantasy on "Madama Butterfly" (arr. Goto) (1904/2000)
- Gianni Schicchi (arr. Suzuki) (1918/2015)
- Highlights from Act 1, "Tosca" (arr. Goto) (1900/2014)
- Intermezzo from "Manon Lescaut" (arr. McBeth) (1893/1984)
- Kyrie from Messa di Gloria (tr. Paxton) (1980/2015)
- La Bohème (arr. Stebbing) (1896/1948)
- La Bohème (arr. Dawson) (1896/1992)
- La Fanciulla del West (arr. de Meij) (1910/2008)
- La Tregenda (arr. Beck) (1883/2012)
- La Tregenda (arr. Foster) (1883/1996)
- Nessun Dorma (arr. Bocook) (1926/2003)
- Nessun Dorma (arr. Beringen) (1926/1991)
- Nessun Dorma (arr. Cray)
- Nessun Dorma (arr. Hattendorf) (1926/2007)
- Nessun Dorma (arr. Rossi) (1926/2008)
- Nessun Dorma (arr. Turrin) (1926/2010)
- Nessun Dorma (arr. Vinson) (1926/2009)
- Nessun Dorma (arr. Williams) (1926/2000)
- Nessun Dorma (tr. Patterson) (1926/)
- Nessun Dorma from "Turandot" (arr. Rickard) (1926/1993)
- O Mio Babbino Caro (arr. Balmages) (1918/2000)
- O Mio Babbino Caro (arr. Vinson) (1918/2011)
- O Mio Babbino Caro from "Gianni Schicchi" (arr. Kondo) (1918/2010)
- O Mio Babbino Caro from "Gianni Schicchi" (arr. Kreines) (1918/)
- Puccini's Arias Fantasy (arr. Yamazato) (2012)
- Quando me’n vo (arr. McLain) (1896/2011)
- Scenes from "La Bohème" (arr. Hanna) (1896/)
- Scossa Elettrica (arr. King) (1896/2019)
- Scossa Elettrica (arr. Yates) (1896/2001)
- Te Deum (tr. de Meij) (1900/2010)
- Tosca Fantasy (arr. Gee) (1900)
- Tosca Fantasy (arr. Hermann) (1900/1972)
- Turandot (arr. Goto) (1926/2007)
- Two Scenes from "Tosca" (arr. Hanna) (1900/)
- Un Bel Di (arr. Spaniola) (1904/1997)
- Vogliatemi Bene from "Madama Butterfly" (arr. Odom) (1904/)
- Witches' Sabbath, The (arr. de Meij) (1892/2010)
Resources
- Johan de Meij website Accessed 16 January 2018
- Perusal score