Name: Amor vincitore
Start: 2025-05-25T18:00:00
Location: Rococo Theater

Julia Lezhneva

Maayan light

SWR Symphonieorchester

A man who loves a woman; a woman who would rather be alone; a god who shoots arrows; and then: love. At first glance, the plot of the piece, which was composed by the youngest Bach son Johann Christian and which was shown in the Schwetzingen Palace Theater in 1774 after its London premiere, is quite simple. At second glance, it is not - at least that is the opinion of Pauline Jacob and Lisa Florentine Schmalz from the music theater and radio play collective staatsoper24, who are staging the almost forgotten piece as an audio theater together with Sebastian Bauer. Inspired by sculptures in the Schwetzingen Palace Gardens, they playfully look behind the facade of the play about Alcidoro, Dalisa and Amor, asking about the role models of Amor vincitore and about the freedom of desire. The early classical sounds of a piece that falls between two genres (cantata and one-act opera) are contrasted with contemporary sound moments by Patrick Schäfer. Singing is complemented by spoken words. Costumes reflect the imagery of the sculptures in the palace gardens. Julia Lezhneva and Maayan Licht provide seductive sounds in two virtuoso soprano parts together with the ensemble Il Gusto Barocco under Jörg Halubek. A project choir with students from the Mannheim University of Music is also involved. Alongside Johann Christian Bach's colorfully orchestrated music, you can hear breath and wind. It may be that by the end he will have swept some gods off their pedestals. Will the god of love really leave the Rococo theater as a victor?