Gioseffo Che Interpreta I Sogni

Description

A must-hear is the oratorio Joseph by Antonio Caldara! Antonio Caldara (1670-1736) was revered by his contemporaries as one of the greatest European composers. He created the oratorio Gioseffo che interpreta i sogni (Joseph, the Interpreter of Dreams) for the imperial court in Vienna in 1726. It retells the story of Joseph in the Old Testament. To the biblical figures of Joseph and Pharaoh, the baker and the cupbearer, the librettist Giovanni Battista Neri adds that of the deceitful servant Zedekiah and a narrator who comments on the action in lyrical fashion. Caldara set his text to music according to the emperor’s musical tastes, who, as a connoisseur, also appreciated counterpoint and the fugue technique. The work is also characterized by a colorful orchestration, in which instruments such as the chalumeau and psaltery are also used.