Young Wolfgang Amadeus was ten years old in 1766 when he began composing musical drama, thus allowing him to create his tenth such work by the age of 19. This tale of the ‘shepherd king' is a two-act composition designated, in terms of genre, as a serenade. Analysts place it in the category of ‘serious opera' (opera seria), noting that the plot revolving around a quartet composed of two pairs of lovers and a moment of questionable loyalty will inevitably remind the listener of one of the composer's late masterpieces: Così fan tutte. In addition to the amazingly versatile Villazón, with his special affinity for Mozart, the cast includes Emőke Baráth, an internationally admired performer of early music, as well as some other highly accomplished singers: Spanish soprano Elena Sancho Pereg, American tenor Zachary Wilder and Croatian soprano Tamara Ivanis. The European early music ensemble L'Arpeggiata, comprised of an international group of musicians, was founded in 2000 under the leadership of Graz-born theorbist, harpist and conductor Christina Pluhar. Always seeking out the unknown, they specialise in the excitement of discovering the unique.

The concert will be preceded from 6.00 pm by an introductory presentation in Hungarian by musicologist Gergely Fazekas entitled Prologue at the Festival Theatre, where concert ticket holders will be invited to get to know the performing musicians and the works to be performed more closely.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest