"... like a well-made dress"
They are red and beautiful, the new volumes of Mozart's concert arias for soprano published by Bärenreiter in 2013. They are based on the revised text of the new Mozart edition.
In order to make a clear distinction between the text of the work and performance notes, the new music volumes are accompanied by a booklet with introductory texts for each work and general notes on various aspects of musical performance practice. There is also a translation of the text into German and English as well as various suggestions for the performance of cadenzas, entrances and reprises.
For Mozart it was a matter of course that "the aria should be as accurately suited to a singer as a well-made dress", and so it is not surprising that he mainly wrote his arias to suit a particular singer and adapted the aria to his artistic physiognomy. Here too, the accompanying commentary provides detailed information.
In performance situations, the singers of Mozart's time also saw themselves as creative co-creators of the work, who knew how to use their freedom in cadenzas and the ornamentation of repeated parts. The commentary often presents three to four different ornamentation possibilities for a particular cadenza, as well as a suggestion for a recapitulation embellished with ornaments.
The division into three volumes according to voice type is very user-friendly: for low soprano and alto, for soprano and for high soprano. The arias are arranged chronologically within the individual volumes. Also helpful is the numbering of the bars, which is completely absent in Schirmer, whereas Bärenreiter subdivides them with letters.
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, concert arias for high soprano, arrangement by Thomas Seedorf, piano reduction with booklet, BA 9181, € 28.95, Bärenreiter, Kassel 2013
id., concert arias for soprano, BA 9182, € 29.95
id., concert arias for low soprano and alto, BA 9183, € 19.95
