Orliński & Corti & Il Pomo d'Oro
A fabulous vocal cast headed by opera superstar Jakub Józef Orliński, a world-class early music ensemble, seven festival debuts, and the bloody tale of Salome
Programme
- Alessandro Stradella: San Giovanni Battista (Saint John the Baptist), oratorio
Performers
- Il Pomo d’Oro
- Francesco Corti – conductor, harpsichord
- Jakub Józef Orliński – countertenor
- Jiayu Jin – soprano
- Emmanuelle de Negri – soprano
- Alex Rosen – bass
- Nicholas Scott – tenor
We would like to tell you about one of the most anticipated projects of the Prague Spring Festival in 2027! A fabulous vocal cast headed by countertenor Jakub Józef Orliński and soprano Emmanuelle de Negri will be joined by the first-rate ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro, specialists in music of the 17th and 18th centuries, in a performance of the vibrant, expressive oratorio San Giovanni Battista (Saint John the Baptist) by Italian Baroque composer Alessandro Stradella (1639–1682).
Stradella the bohemian
Stradella’s music is as turbulent as the life he led, marked as it was by love affairs, dramatic escapes from various persecutors, and attempts to eliminate him. He was only forty-two years of age when he was stabbed to death in Genoa’s Piazza Banchi on the night of the 1st and 2nd of March 1682. All this existential restlessness and drama was naturally projected into his music as well, which was already highly regarded by his contemporaries. Georg Friedrich Händel even owned several of Stradella’s manuscripts, including a copy of the oratorio San Giovanni Battista.
A famous story in a unique interpretation
Saint John the Baptist originated in 1675 and represents a musical encounter between the great Roman oratorio and the Venetian opera of the 17th century. It treats the well-known story of King Herod, who grants the wish of the seductive Salome and has the head of John the Baptist brought to her on a platter. It is worth noting that the demanding role of Salome was performed in 1949 by the young opera diva Maria Callas. In Prague this part will be performed by Chinese soprano Jiayu Jin, who won the 2024 Francesco Provenzale International Singing Competition in Naples. Appearing alongside her as John the Baptist will be charismatic countertenor and breakdancer Jakub Józef Orliński, holder of the Opus Klassik award 2023 as Singer of the Year, two Grammy nominations and the BBC Music Magazine Award 2024 for the album Beyond, which he recorded with the ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro. The other roles will be performed by superb world-class specialists in early music: French soprano Emmanuelle de Negri, British tenor Nick Scott and American bass Alex Rosen. The ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro, acclaimed for its collaboration with such names as mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, will be led by conductor and harpsichordist Francesco Corti. This Prague concert is part of a European tour which will also take in Madrid, Warsaw and Cologne.
