Name: Ascanio in Alba
Start: 2006-08-03T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2006-08-05T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Große Universitätsaula

Organization

Conductor

Adam Fischer

Stage director

David Hermann

Set designer

Christof Hetzer

Costume designer

Lighting designer

Andreas Rehfeld

Chorus master

William Spaulding

Dramaturge

Dorothea Hartmann

Soprano

Iris Kupke

Venere

Mezzo-soprano

Sonia Prina

Ascanio

Marie-Belle Sandis

Silvia

Tenor

Charles Reid

Aceste

Countertenor

Diana Damrau

Fauno

Singer

Christian Banzhaf

Voyager I

Salzburger Festspiele

Others

Choir of the Nationaltheater Mannheim

Orchestra

Nationaltheater-Orchester Mannheim

Ġermaniż

Ascanio in Alba -  (Ascanius in Alba)

Salzburg

Austria

Große Universitätsaula

Milan 1771: In March, Leopold Mozart proudly reports on the commission from Empress Maria Theresa, which "will give our son an immortal honour": Wolfgang is to compose a festival play for the wedding of Archduke Ferdinand to Maria Beatrix von Este!

The challenge is all the greater as the young Mozart has to fear fierce competition from other commissioned works. The work on this work, based on a libretto by Giuseppe Parini, took just two months. Despite the short processing time, the 15-year-old composer achieves the highest social fame and honor at the Habsburg court with "Ascanio in Alba".

The plot: In a mythical landscape, the goddess Venus announces to her son Ascanio that he will soon become ruler of the newly emerging city of Alba and also marry the beautiful nymph Silvia. Before that he is allowed to see his bride, but not to reveal himself in order to test her virtue. Thanks to Cupid, however, Silvia has been dreaming of a stranger for many years, although she is promised to Ascanio. Little does she know that her dream prince is Ascanio. When Silvia sees the unknown lover and Ascanio does not identify herself, she flees so as not to endanger her virtue, since she is supposedly promised to someone else. Venus finally clarifies the identity of her son and brings together the lovers who are to make their country and gender happy and famous.

The protagonists of this Festa teatrale, behind whom the Austrian empress, the archduke and his bride can easily be recognized, do not remain distant allegorical beings, but have human traits; the music leaves the framework of magnificent, baroque representation and shows courage for sensitivity and intimacy.

In 2006, the Salzburg Festival presented Mozart's youthful work in a highly acclaimed production by David Hermann from the Nationaltheater Mannheim: the director places actors next to the singers, who summarize the texts of the recitatives. The result is an "ironically reflected directing game about love, lust, dreams and reasons of state," as the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes.

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