Introduction Matinee "The Alcibiades Who Rejoiced in His Freedom"

Introduction and discussion with the participants of the production as well as insights into the rehearsal process of the Baroque opera "La libertà contenta" / Baroque opera in three acts by Agostino Steffani / Libretto by Bartolomeo Ortensio Mauro / German translation for the Hamburg Opera in 1697 by Gottlieb Fiedler / performed in German with surtitles. Alcibiades, exiled from Athens, goes undercover in the enemy city of Sparta, where none other than Timea, the fiancée of the Spartan king, falls for his charm. At the same time, the Athenian princess Aspasia falls into the hands of the Spartans, remaining unrecognized as a slave due to a false identity. The fact that not only the king but also the general Lysander has taken an interest in her, while her fiancé Pericles searches for her throughout Sparta, and Alcibiades is also not indifferent to her, leads to a furious game of misunderstandings, where jealousy, intrigue, and strong emotions abound, but the love of freedom is meant to triumph over all conventions. Agostino Steffani, originally from Padua, was a wanderer between worlds. Ordained as a priest in Rome, he made a name for himself as a composer in Germany. In addition to Hannover and Düsseldorf, he served as rector of Heidelberg University in 1703/04 and was also active in the Palatinate.