Passion music at the Viennese imperial court
Works by Giovanni Felice Sances, Pietro Andrea Ziani, Giacomo Carissimi and others.
Moving devotional music for a nocturnal Holy Week service at the Viennese imperial court in the mid-17th century, characterised by mystical solemnity, forms the focal point of this project. Two exceptionally music-loving women from the Mantuan Gonzaga dynasty played a key role in shaping musical life at court during this period: Eleonora, the wife of Emperor Ferdinand II, and Eleonora Magdalena, who married Emperor Ferdinand III in 1651. The two Gonzaga empresses were partly responsible for ensuring that the latest Italian music was cultivated in Vienna – Eleonora Magdalena, who had excellent contacts to the Roman music scene, also introduced the tradition of sepolcri, or oratorio performances in front of the Holy Sepulchre, to Vienna around 1660. The poignant lamentations of the prophet Jeremiah were traditionally performed at the Tenebrae, the night services of the “Settimana Santa”, the “holy week”. A manuscript preserved in Bologna contains such lamentations in settings by composers from the Roman neighbourhood, such as the famous Giacomo Carissimi. His compositions were also highly valued at the imperial court in Vienna. One Roman who made a career in Vienna was Giovanni Felice Sances. His original, unconventional Stabat mater is one of the central works of our Passion concert.
Bonus: 6.15 pm introductory talk