Przedstawienie duszy i ciała by Cavalieri, sob 17 wrz 2022, od (2022/2022), W reżyserii Erika Rombaldoni, Dyrygent Giovanni Antonini, NFM (Narodowe Forum Muzyki), Wrocław, Polska

In February 1600, the new work was heard for the first time in the Roman church of Santa Maria in Valicella. It was a performance about the soul and body of Emilio de' Cavalieri, maintained in a new, then revolutionary style, which, according to the assumptions, was to refer to ancient ideals. The composer himself called his work dramma per musica, sometimes it was called a spiritual opera, but with time historians came to believe that it was the first oratorio in the history of music. Cavalieri's work is a moralizing dialogue between the Body (Corpo) and the Soul (Anima). Other allegorical figures also appear here, such as Reason (Intelletto), Council (Consiglio), Time (Tempo), Delight (Piacere), Guardian Angel (Angelio Custode) and others. The piece was performed on stage by make-up actors, with decorations and colorful dance interludes. The work consists of three acts. In the first of them, Time reminds the audience about the imminent final judgment. The climax is the emergence of Soul and Body, which start a dispute about what is the purpose of human life. The body emphasizes the numerous advantages of earthly pleasures, but at the end of the act decides to join the Soul in the pursuit of eternal life. In the second act, the Council explains that earthly affairs are a constant war. The body begins to question its decision to go searching. The Guardian Angel enters the stage, launches an attack on the World, and when he tears off its rich robes, he shows the assembled people its ugliness. At the beginning of the third act, the Council counts the souls of the blessed in heaven, and the Mind of the damned in hell. Then follows a dialogue between the souls of the damned and the souls of the blessed. The Body ultimately agrees with the Soul that their common goal should be the pursuit of salvation, and this conclusion leads to a great hymn of praise in which everyone dances and sings. In this work, Cavalieri used a means of expression that is an emblem of the new style - recitative (in the introduction to the score he even wrote the performance notation "recitar cantando", meaning "speaking while singing") with improvised accompaniment, called basso continuo. This epochal work will be performed by excellent soloists and the ensemble Il Giardino Armonico, while Giovanni Antonini will take care of the whole thing.