Mozart: Demofoonte. Fragments of an Opera (2SACD)

Pietro Antonio Domenico Trapassi, better known by his pseudonym of Metastasio, was an Italian writer and poet who lived through most of the 18th century. In the early summer of 1730 Metastasio settled at Vienna, and over the next ten years produced his finest dramas including the work known as “Demofoonte”. By the year 1800 it had inspired at least 73 operas by amongst others Vivaldi, Gluck, Paisiello, and Galuppi. Although Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart never composed a complete “Demofoonte” opera, he did leave us six arias which sum up the key moments of the plot. On this WDR production, the missing story line between the arias is filled in by spoken text supplied by German author Sabine Radermacher based on Metastasios original drama. Instumental compositions by Mozart from the time between 1769 and 1778 provide a musical context for the operatic scenes. At the outset of the drama the Thracian king Demofonte asks the oracle of Apollo how long the practice of the annual sacrifice of a virgin will continue. The answer is puzzling: "as long as the innocent usurper sits on the throne". The nobleman Matusio tries to protect his daughter Dircea from being sacrificed. He and Demofonte however are unaware that Dircea is secretly married to Timante, the son of Demofonte and the heir to the throne. It is first revealed that Dircea is in fact Demofonte’s daughter which makes Timante and Dircea brother and sister. However another letter reveals that Timante is the son of Matusio. Therefore the marriage of Timante and Dircea becomes legal, and since Timante is no longer the "innocent usurper of the throne" no more virgins have to be sacrificed.