Antonio Cesti: Orontea A Zeneakadémia saját szervezésű programja

One of the most popular Italian operas of the 17th century and the masterpiece of a Franciscan friar debuted 360 years ago. Cesti’s first opera was Orontea with the title role an Egyptian queen; it was an immediate box office hit, and in the wake of its premiere in 1656 it was regularly produced for the next more than 30 years. This was in large part down to the fact that its libretto and great music combine elements of tragedy and comedy in a masterful way (it is still such an entertaining and uplifting masterpiece today for this very reason). In the prologue preceding the three acts, allegories of Philosophy and Love wrangle over which has a greater impact on humanity; is the soul ruled by duty or passion, the mind or the heart? The easily comprehensible and yet utterly captivating story provides a pithy response to this dispute.