History has not been kind to Antonio Salieri. To this day, he is portrayed as Mozart’s rival, envier or even murderer – a reputation fuelled in no small part by Miloš Forman’s film »Amadeus«, which depicts Salieri as a ruthless opportunist and mediocre composer. In reality, however, little of this bears scrutiny. During his lifetime, the Italian composer enjoyed immense prestige, and a joint composition by Mozart and Salieri suggests a relationship far more collegial than hostile. It is high time, then, for a reassessment.
That reassessment now comes courtesy of conductor and early music specialist René Jacobs, who brings Salieri’s original and highly entertaining opera »Falstaff ossia Le tre burle« to the Elbphilharmonie Grand Hall. Yes, the very Falstaff immortalised by Giuseppe Verdi and originally inspired by Shakespeare’s »The Merry Wives of Windsor«. With this production, Jacobs continues his successful series of concert performances at the Elbphilharmonie, which has already included an early version of Beethoven’s »Fidelio« and Bizet’s »Carmen«. Once again, he can rely on the excellent Belgian B’Rock Orchestra and an outstanding cast of singers led by the Croatian bass-baritone Krešimir Stražanac.
PERFORMERS
B’Rock Orchestra vzw chamber ensemble
Krešimir Stražanac bass
Anett Fritsch soprano
Grégoire Mour tenor
Luigi de Donato bass
Sophie Harmsen mezzo-soprano
Arttu Kataja bass
Sunhae Im soprano
René Jacobs director
PROGRAM
Antonio Salieri
Falstaff ossia Le tre burle / Dramma giocoso in Two Acts
Concert performance in Italian with German surtitles
The concert takes place with an interval.
