"Le Cid", Act 3, Paris, Palais Garnier, 1885: An extended instrumental solo sounds. Then the curtain rises and Chimene is beside herself. She races against her father's killer. She demands revenge - not knowing that she is pronouncing the death sentence on her lover Rodrigo. Jules Massenet added an obbligato alto clarinet in F to this dramatic scene, an instrument similar to the basset horn that was also unusual at the time and was present in the orchestra of the Paris Opéra. For performances elsewhere, Massenet permitted the use of an A clarinet, and it is only logical that the new edition offers the instrumental solo for the alternative scorings.
- ISMN: 9790004488447 (M004488447)
