Festival für Alte Musik Knechtsteden - Eröffnungskonzert La Colpa Originale

In the organizer's words:

18:00 Introductory talk in the monastery library

Francesco Bartolomeo Conti was a celebrated star at the beginning of the 18th century: as a theorbo player and composer, he was placed in the service of Cardinal Francesco Maria de' Medici at the age of 17, which earned him a position at the Habsburg court in Vienna from 1701. As imperial court composer, the Florentine-born composer delighted a large, exclusive audience with his stage works in particular and successfully combined the new, virtuoso Neapolitan operatic style with the courtly Viennese operatic tradition. Colleagues such as Johann Joachim Quantz praised him as an inventive and fiery, albeit sometimes somewhat bizarre, composer.

His oratorio La Colpa Originale (The Original Sin) was written for Emperor Leopold I and premiered in Vienna in 1718 - but after several performances - most recently in 1739 - it fell into oblivion and is now being awakened from its library slumber after more than 280 years and made audible again for today's ears.

The libretto by Pietro Pariati is based on the biblical story of the Fall of Man. In addition to the main roles of Adamo and Eve, Cherubino, Lucifero and Dio determine the dramatic plot, which ends with the expulsion from paradise. With its musical-theatrical passion, the oratorio is in no way inferior to Conti's secular stage works. Ideal material for Artist in Residence Dorothee Oberlinger and her Ensemble 1700 to transfer the wealth of experience of baroque opera to a sacred work.

Concert with interval. Ends at around 21:15.

Program:

Price information:

39/30/25/19/10*€ / reduced 32/23/18/15/8*€ plus advance booking fee *with restricted view