Modern World Premiere of Baroque Opera in 2024
as part of the
17th Annual Festival of Baroque Arts in Český Krumlov
Antonio Draghi:
I vaticini di Tiresia Tebano
(The Prophecies of Tiresias of Thebes)
Festa Teatrale
Prague 1680
Libretto: Nicolò Minato
Premiere: Prague Castle, 11 January 1680.
A mythological-allegorical opera performed on the occasion of the birthday of Eleonore Magdalene of Neuburg, Empress of the Holy Roman Empire and Queen of Bohemia, wife of Emperor Leopold I, during the stay of the Imperial Court in Prague. It is one of the first operas performed in the Czech lands.
Modern premiere: Český Krumlov, Baroque Castle Theatre, 20 - 22 September 2024.
Performers:
Soloists and the Hof-Musici Baroque Orchestra, Epochal Dance Ensemble, choreography by Veronika Rehbergerová, direction by Zuzana Vrbová, conducted by Ondřej Macek from the harpsichord.
Antonio Draghi (1634-1700), a native of Rimini, was a singer, librettist, composer, and bandmaster at the Imperial Court in Vienna from 1658 until his death. With more than 150 stage works, he is considered one of the most prolific composers in the history of opera.
Draghi’s name is also linked in an important way to the musical history of the Czech Crown. In 1679, a plague spread to Austria and then to other countries of the Habsburg monarchy, forcing the imperial court to leave Vienna during August and September 1679 and take refuge in Prague, which became the seat of the monarch again, at least temporarily, until May 1680. Along with the imperial court, the court band headed by Antonio Draghi also moved to Prague. The opera and oratorio operations at Prague Castle operated entirely in accordance with the court calendar, just as they would have in the Hofburg in Vienna. The opera I vaticini di Tiresia Tebano was performed in a theatre built in the Royal Garden of Prague Castle near the Little Ballroom. Its libretto, written by the court poet Nicolò Minato, reflects the political situation of the Habsburg monarchy, including the Kingdom of Bohemia, through allegorical characters. At the same time, this opera by Draghi can be considered one of the first operas performed in Prague and in the Czech lands in general.
