Gesualdo

an opera by Bo Holten

Gesualdo is an opera for baroque orchestra, madrigal ensemble and five soloists, based on the true story of the prince and composer Carlo Gesualdo of Venosa, renowned as much for murder, as for writing weird and mannered, but very interesting music, which created some interest in his own day, and very intense interest in the 20th century, notably from people like Igor Stravinsky.

Musica Ficta's singers had an important part as Gesualdos private madrgalists, and as minor characters

Premiered 4. April 2003,
16 performances
Last Performance 29. April 2003

Den Anden Opera (The Other Opera)
Copenhagen (now closed)

Libretto &: Michael Hall
Direction: Peter Schrøder
Set design & Costumes: Eva Sommestad Holten

The singers:
Lars Waage, Lars Thodberg Bertelsen, Susanne Elmark, Ole Hedegaard, Charlotta Huldt Ramberg

Madrigalists and minor charcters: MUSICA FICTA madrigal group: Elisabeth Holmertz, Rie Koch, Helen Rossil, Lars Pedersen, Christian Hauskov, Hans-Henrik Raaholt.

CONCERTO COPENHAGEN
directed by BO HOLTEN

Musica Ficta: www.ficta.dk

Gesualdo was one of the most significant and most extreme composers of the late renaissance. But he was also a neurotic and experimenting soul, who among other things dramatically murdered his aldulterous wife and her lover..
Bo Holten's opera is written for baroque instruments, and Gesualdo's own music is imperceptively interwoven with Holten's own. His life is pictured as a psychological drama from hypersensitive youth to masochistic old age, and tries to uncover reasons for his wild music.
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