The biblical figure of Judith is an icon of female heroism: pretending to be in love with the merciless general Holofernes, she cuts off his head as he sleeps. It was no accident that Antonio Vivaldi chose the story of this courageous woman as the subject of his only oratorio, which was given in Venice in 1716 to celebrate the liberation of the island of Corfu from the Ottoman army. At the time, Vivaldi was in charge of the choir and orchestra at a girls’ orphanage and his oratorio Juditha triumphans is written for an entirely female cast. However, that does not stop him giving Holofernes likeable qualities and portraying his relationship with Judith as intensely erotic. And having to work solely with female voices inspired the composer to produce a colourful and ingenious score. The conductor Aapo Häkkinen and his Helsinki Baroque Orchestra bring the dramatic oratorio to the MusikTheater an der Wien.

Concert performance in Latin with German surtitles

Introduction to the work 30 minutes before curtain-up