Wolfgang A. Mozart • Betulia liberata

New production

In Italian with German and English surtitles

Coproduction with Ravenna Festival

LEADING TEAM

Riccardo Muti, Conductor
Marco Gandini, Stage director
Italo Grassi, Set design
Gabriella Pescucci, Costum design
Marco Filibeck, Lighting
Walter Zeh, Chorus Master

CAST

Michael Spyres, Ozìa
Alisa Kolosova, Giuditta
Maria Grazia Schiavo, Amital
Nahuel Di Pierro, Achior
Barbara Bargnesi, Cabri
Arianna Vendittelli, Carmi
Philharmonia Chor Wien
Orchestra Giovanile Luigi Cherubini
Speranza Scappucci, Continuo Harpsichord

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

Shortly after his first journey to Italy, Mozart wrote the music for Betulia liberata, setting a popular libretto by Pietro Metastasio. The Viennese court poet followed the Biblical original rather closely: during the siege of her hometown Bethulia by the army of Nebuchadnezzar, under the command of Holofernes, the widow Judith enters the enemy camp, wins Holofernes’ trust and beheads the sleeping commander. The attackers flee in confusion.