Leopold I assigned music a central place in the cultural life of his times. He encouraged the production of music at his Vienna court and composed over 150 arias in Italian, some German-language oratorios and musical comedies, and many sacred works. His oratorio Il Sagrificio d'Abramo occupies a special place among Viennese Passion compositions because the figure of Isaac is described as a prefiguration of Christ. Since the librettist, Conte Caldana, places the sacrifice scene in the foreground in the first part of his text, an entirely new level of meaning is created. As a result, Ubidienza (Obedience) and HumanitÃ (Humanity) become Abraham's partners in dialogue from the very beginning. Although Leopold was only twenty years old at the time, he was already a composer of true mastery who was also able in his music to capture in tones the hopelessness of the situation and in part to venture beyond the actual limits of tonality as observed and understood by his contemporaries. Leopold's Miserere is appealing above all because of it's unusual instrumentation consisting exclusively of stringed instruments.

Tracklist:

Il Sagrifizio D'abramo: No. 1, Sonata
Il Sagrifizio D'abramo: No. 2, Abramo I Lumi Inalza
Il Sagrifizio D'abramo: No. 3, Abram Se Tu Non Vai
Il Sagrifizio D'abramo: No. 4, A Te Pur Data Sia
Il Sagrifizio D'abramo: No. 5, Con Faccia Impavida
Il Sagrifizio D'abramo: No. 6, Qui Gia Non Pende Sotto Dubio
Il Sagrifizio D'abramo: No. 7, Figlio Dispon La Tenera Cervice
Il Sagrifizio D'abramo: No. 8, Sonatina
Il Sagrifizio D'abramo: No. 9, Ai Colli Sanguinosi
Il Sagrifizio D'abramo: No. 10, Al Pianto, Su, Su
Il Sagrifizio D'abramo: No. 11, Flagelli Sonanti
Il Sagrifizio D'abramo: No. 12, Mio Dio Ne L'ira Tua
Il Sagrifizio D'abramo: No. 13, Io Rigaro La Stanza
Il Sagrifizio D'abramo: No. 14, Sparse Le Chiome Vane
Il Sagrifizio D'abramo: No. 15, Si, Si Piangete
Il Sagrifizio D'abramo: No. 16, Al Comun Dio Pietoso
Miserere: I. Miserere Mei, Deus
Miserere: II. Ecce Enim In Iniquitatibus Conceptus Sum
Miserere: III. Cor Mundum Crea In Me, Deus
Miserere: IV. Domine, Labia Mea Aperies

UPC: 761203511327
Label: Cpo Records
Release Date: 9.4.20
Format: CD

Leopold / Weser-Renaissance Bremen / Cordes - Il Sagrifizio D'abramo (CD)