Oratorio in two parts

Libretto by Pietro Metastasio

Marianna Martines was regarded as a child prodigy: she could sing arias, play the harpsichord and compose. Championed by Metastasio, poet laureate at the court of Vienna, she took lessons with Joseph Haydn and Nicola Porpora, entertained Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in her drawing room, played for Maria Theresa and elected not to marry in order to devote her energies entirely to music. But as time passed, the history of culture found no place for such a gifted and successful woman, and her name, once so celebrated, became little more than a footnote in the world of music. Even today, performances of her works remain a rarity. Among her most important compositions is the oratorio Isacco figura del redentore (Isaac, Model for the Saviour) written in 1782. She wrote it in honour of her great supporter Metastasio who had died shortly before its first performance and had written the libretto over forty years earlier. The work is characterised by a psychologically polished plot, enthralling recitatives and magnificent coloratura arias. The plot is based on the Book of Genesis: An angel commands Abraham in the name of God to kill his son Isaac. Abraham obediently drags his son to a sacrificial altar, but just as he is about to strike the fatal blow, God intervenes and foregoes the human sacrifice. With this work, director Eva-Maria Höckmayr makes her debut in Vienna.

In Italian with German and English surtitles

Introduction to the work 30 minutes before curtain-up