Reduced opera orchestrations

STOP PRESS:

After something of a hiatus for a global Covid pandemic, it’s time to bring the Theatre Music Editions website up to date with recent developments.

The most recent reduced orchestration available is for Offenbach’s amazing opera The Tales of Hoffmann.

This chamber version is orchestrated for eight players: flute, clarinet, bassoon, horn, violin, viola, bass and piano.

Also, since the previous update, reduced orchestrations of Friedrich von Flotow’s Martha and Bellini’s Norma have been prepared.

Several of these feature a new English translations by Dorothy Withers – please contact us for details

For more information contact Michael Withers


Theatre Music Editions provides chamber-sized orchestral reductions of full scale operas.    These reorchestrations for chamber ensemble are ideal for smaller venues and touring companies and are now available for hire.

Orchestrations available to date include:

  • Flotow: Martha
  • Gounod: Faust
  • Bizet: The Pearl Fishers
  • Dvorak: Rusalka
  • Donizetti: Lucia di Lammermoor
  • Verdi: Nabucco
  • Beethoven: Fidelio
  • Donizetti: Daughter of the regiment
  • Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel
  • … and many more. Visit the catalogue page to find out (although I still need to update the catalogue with the newer chamber orchestrations – just email for details).

These reduced orchestrations have been produced to fulfill a need. You can read more about why I started to create these reductions by following this link.

Theatre Music Editions’ carefully crafted ‘chamber orchestrations’ have been successfully used for a number of years in a variety of venues. They retain much of the composer’s orchestral colour whilst shifting the emphasis from a large orchestral timbre to a chamber sound. I believe that many other companies may be able to benefit from the work I have put in to these reorchestrations, so I am making these practical editions available to other opera companies.

All Theatre Music Edition’s scores are re-typeset using Finale or Dorico, with all parts carefully arranged with appropriate page turns.

For sample pages and hire costs contact Michael Withers