MUSIK IM RÖMERmuseum: Ensemble con moto: Coriolan - Königliche Barockoper en miniature
In the small residence palace of Rheda, the operas of Carl Heinrich Graun (1704/5–1759), who served as Royal Court Kapellmeister under Frederick the Great, were very popular in the middle of the 18th century. However, the court chapel in Rheda was too small to perform the works in their original form, which is why they were adapted for mini ensembles. Inspired by this performance practice, Ensemble con moto has adapted the handwritten original score of Carl Heinrich Graun's "Coriolan," which is located in Berlin, for its ensemble and now presents a touching short version of this Baroque opera in Haltern am See with five musicians and a narrator.
"Coriolan" takes place in Rome in the 5th century BC. Because he was not elected consul, the successful Roman general Coriolan attacks Rome with his mercenary army to conquer and plunder the city. Only his family manages to persuade him to spare Rome - for this, however, he is murdered by his soldiers, who feel cheated out of their pay. Without a leader, the troops are incapable of taking Rome and retreat. "Roma è salva - Rome is saved," sings the closing chorus.
Artists:
Ensemble con moto
Christina Oellers: soprano, Ina Grajetzki, Burkard Rosenberger: Baroque violin, Susanne Wahmhoff: Baroque cello, Harald Schäfer: harpsichord, Luna Meyer-Fredrich: recitation
The Ensemble con moto seeks out unknown works of Baroque music in libraries and archives and presents them in concerts. The resulting music editions, committed to historically informed performance practice, are published online for free – supported by the University and State Library of Münster and the Diocesan Library of Münster – in the publication series "Papier.Klänge – Musical Treasures from Westphalian Collections" (www.papierklaenge.de), "Edition Santini" (www.fortunato-santini.de), and "Music of Anonymous Composers" (www.musanko.de).
Location:
LWL-Römermuseum (exhibition hall)
Weseler Str. 100, 45721 Haltern am See
The LWL-Römermuseum, a museum and research institution, considers itself a supra-regional Roman museum, where the most significant finds from all Roman camps along the Lippe are displayed. It was built on the original site of the Roman camp Aliso, where the legionnaires camped 2,000 years ago. Opened in 1993, the central museum for Roman military history in Northwest Germany brings to life the 28-year history of the Romans in Westphalia with reconstructions to try out, films, 3-D and virtual reality animations, audio plays, and models.
The concert series is organized in cooperation with the KulturStiftung Masthoff and the Westphalian Roman Museum.
Photo: © Rosenberger