Betulia liberata

Many painters and musicians, among them Vivaldi, Scarlatti and Jommelli, Veronese, Titian and Caravaggio, found inspiration in the biblical myth of Judith and Holofernes. After exploring the various musical embodiments of this biblical figure in the company of Delphine Galou, Christophe Rousset now sets out to present in extenso to audiences Mozart’s oratorio Betulia liberata.  Many pages in this score composed by a fifteen-year-old youth testify to Mozart’s precocious maturity. The oratorio was probably performed during Mozart’s first Italian journey, to Padua, for Lent in 1772: it is cast in a form compatible with the constraints of a religious calendar that prohibited staged works.
The great Italian poet Metastasio uses the biblical story in which Judith murders Holofernes in order to liberate her people and Bethulia, her besieged city. Judith succeeds in entering the enemy camp, and in seducing, intoxicating with drink and finally beheading the general, Holofernes. The libretto describes the incredulity of the Jews, doubting the possibility of liberation by a member of a gender deemed to be weak. “Con troppo real viltà” the aria in which Amital repents, is one of the work’s great successes.

With the support of our Circle of Patrons.

Recording project to be released (Aparté).

Production Les Talens Lyriques avec le soutien du Cercle des Mécènes.