One of Mozart’s rarely-heard early stage works, 'Betulia Liberata', on double hybrid SACD, performed by the highly-regarded Austrian early music ensemble L’Orfeo Barockorchester and a group of fine soloists led by the group’s founder and musical director Michi Gaigg.

“Betulia Liberata” (The liberated Bethulia) is probably the least known of Mozart’s larger stage works composed during his youth - he wrote it in 1771 when he was 15. The text is taken from a sacred drama by the Hapsburg court poet Pietro Metastasio, which is itself based on a story from the Old Testament book of Judith about the siege of the city of Bethulia by the Assyrians. It tells of the people of Israel and their unwavering faith in God, who alone can redeem them from a hostile invasion.

Michi Gaigg studied the Baroque violin with Ingrid Seifert and Sigiswald Kuijken and has worked and performed with many internationally acclaimed artists, including Frans Brüggen, Christopher Hogwood, René Jacobs, and Ton Koopman. In 1996 she co-founded the L’Orfeo Barockorchester with the recorder and oboe player Carin van Heerden at the Bruckner University, Linz. Since then the group has evolved into one of the leading international ensembles for historically informed performance practice.

L’Orfeo’s concert programmes and CD recordings are characterised by a synthesis of well-known repertoire and pioneer work. Its repertoire reaches from French Baroque suites and symphonies from the “Sturm and Drang” to music from the Classical period and early Romantics.

Cast:
- Giuditta (alto): Margot Oitzinger
- Ozìa (tenor): Christian Zenker
- Achior (baritone): Markus Volpert
- Amital (soprano): Marelize Gerber
- Cabri (soprano): Ulrike Hofbauer
- Carmi (soprano): Barbara Kraus