Vivaldis «L’Olimpiade» released

Vivaldi's ’L'Olimpiade’ with Alessandro De Marchi and the Innsbruck Festival Orchestra will be released on 22 January by cpo

Antonio Vivaldi's ’L'Olimpiade’ will be released on 22 January by cpo – a recording made under the musical direction of Alessandro De Marchi as part of the Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik 2023. ’L'Olimpiade’ premiered on 17 February 1734. Thanks to Alessandro De Marchi, who played a key role in shaping the festival's fortunes as its musical director from 2009 to 2023, and the Innsbrucker Festwochenorchester, Vivaldi's work can be experienced anew in a historically informed performance practice. The recording brings together a top-class ensemble of specialist singers: Bejun Mehta, Raffaele Pe, Benedetta Mazzucato, Eleonora Bellocci, Christian Senn, Luigi De Donato and Margherita Maria Sala, winner of the 2020 International Singing Competition for Baroque Opera ’Pietro Antonio Cesti’.

Alessandro De Marchi is also part of the anniversary edition of the Innsbruck Festival, which takes place from 24 July to 30 August 2026. On 19 August, he will perform Antonio Caldara's oratorio ’Gioseffo’ together with the Coro Maghini. René Jacobs, artistic director of the festival from 1996 to 2009, is another influential artistic personality in the history of the festival who is returning. Together with the Freiburg Baroque Orchestra, he will perform Handel's ’Il Trionfo’.

The 50th anniversary will focus on the baroque opera par excellence: Pietro Antonio Cesti's ’Il pomo d'oro’, which premiered at the Viennese court in 1668. Cesti himself was court conductor in Innsbruck and is inextricably linked to the city's musical history. As with the historic premiere, the monumental opera will be presented on two evenings (premiere: 7 & 8 August | 11 & 12 August | 15 & 16 August). As parts of the music from the 3rd and 5th acts of the work have been lost, these have been reconstructed by musical director Ottavio Dantone using other works by Cesti. With 20 singers for 47 parts, choir and dance scenes, the opera will be performed in its entirety for the first time since 1668. The internationally renowned opera director Fabio Ceresa will direct, the dance scenes will once again be choreographed by Street Motion Studio, and the choir parts will be performed by NovoCanto.

The anniversary programme is complemented by numerous other high-calibre concerts featuring artists such as Jean Rondeau, Giovanni Antonini, Anna Bonitatibus and the Orchestre de l'Opéra Royal de Versailles. In addition, the festival will continue to focus on promoting young talent in its anniversary year with the International Youth Baroque Orchestra Festival ’youngbaroque’, the 17th International Singing Competition for Baroque Opera ’Pietro Antonio Cesti’ and the Barockoper:Jung.

Since its founding in 1976, the Innsbruck Festival has been the starting point for numerous artists' careers and one of the most important addresses worldwide in the field of Early Music. In 2023, Eva-Maria Sens took over as artistic director together with Ottavio Dantone, who will serve as musical director for five years. During this time, his Accademia Bizantina, one of the world's most renowned orchestras for historical performance practice, will accompany the Festwochen as orchestra in residence.