Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots: The Duty of the First Commandment or the refusal of all half-heartedness!
Starting his career with a bang, Mozart composed his first sacred opera at the tender age of eleven: Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebotes (The Duty of the First Commandment). This is a work in three parts, of which Mozart composed only the first: the other two parts (composed by Michael Haydn and Anton Cajetan Adlgasser) have never been found.
This work, charged with youthful energy, explores the themes of divine justice and redemption through captivating operatic vocal writing. Voices intermingle in passionate arias, expressing the struggle between good and evil with surprising depth for a young composer. It already bears̀ the aesthetic and artistic signature that Mozart was soon to make his own: no half-heartedness, no half-measures in the gallery of characters he was about to bring to life in his operas, but an acuity in the way he looked at their psyches, a finesse and depth in the analysis of their passions that will remain unequalled in the history of lyric theatre. We cannot fail to be dazzled by the mastery of the orchestral writing and the mastery of the vocal writing, truly astounding for a boy barely eleven years old!
Commissioned by the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg for the Easter celebrations in 1767, The Duty of the First Commandment is set in a historical context in which sacred music played a central role in the cultural and religious life of the time. In a Salzburg vibrant with artistic activity, this young prodigy transcended the expectations of the court and the Church, already revealing a precocious talent and an innovative vision. He thus demonstrated his musical genius, offering moments of dramatic intensity and foreshadowing his glorious future in the world of opera, heralding the start of a legendary career that was to light up the world of music.
This work, charged with youthful energy, explores the themes of divine justice and redemption through captivating operatic vocal writing. Voices intermingle in passionate arias, expressing the struggle between good and evil with surprising depth for a young composer. It already bears̀ the aesthetic and artistic signature that Mozart was soon to make his own: no half-heartedness, no half-measures in the gallery of characters he was about to bring to life in his operas, but an acuity in the way he looked at their psyches, a finesse and depth in the analysis of their passions that will remain unequalled in the history of lyric theatre. We cannot fail to be dazzled by the mastery of the orchestral writing and the mastery of the vocal writing, truly astounding for a boy barely eleven years old!
Commissioned by the Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg for the Easter celebrations in 1767, The Duty of the First Commandment is set in a historical context in which sacred music played a central role in the cultural and religious life of the time. In a Salzburg vibrant with artistic activity, this young prodigy transcended the expectations of the court and the Church, already revealing a precocious talent and an innovative vision. He thus demonstrated his musical genius, offering moments of dramatic intensity and foreshadowing his glorious future in the world of opera, heralding the start of a legendary career that was to light up the world of music.
