The concert of the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra, under the baton of Jarosław Thiel and with soloist Tomáš Král, will discover the rich repertoire of Baroque composers working in Germany, England, Italy and Sweden. The space inside the basilica will be filled with the sounds of opera works by George Frederic Handel, Reinhard Keiser and Attilio Ariosti, among others.

As part of a symbolic introduction, the musicians will open the concert with the ceremonial overture to the opera Alfred by the English composer Thomas Arne. Other works by this composer in the concert’s programme are Con spirito and Largo, movements from the Overture in G minor, which is the final composition in set of eight of this type. The overture will be followed by a range of works, including several by George Frideric Handel – Král will perform a widely acclaimed aria from the opera Rodelinda and we will also hear dance pieces: Courante and Menuet from the opera Almira and the impressive Concerto from Ottone, re di Germania. The artists will also present fragments of operatic words by Georg Philip Telemann, whose ties with Handel were not only professional but also personal – the two artists shared a friendship based on mutual respect and admiration. For a large part of his life Telemann worked in Hamburg, but when he arrived in this town a composer who was enjoying bigger fame was Reinhard Keiser. The artists competed fiercely on musical grounds, but it was Telemann that finally won the title of the greatest opera composer in Hamburg. Among Keiser’s opera output, however, are some valued pieces including Octavia and Fredegunda.

Král will also perform arias from the operas by George Caspar Schürmann – who was not only involved in composition, but also in singing performance, which is evident from his vocal-instrumental works – and the Italian artist Attilio Ariosti. His operatic works were welcomed by others in London, although they were soon overshadowed by those of Handel. Among Ariosti’s students, one of the most renowned was Johan Helmich Roman from Sweden. His works show clear inspiration from Handel’s compositional language – this can also be seen in the cantatas, such as the secular cantata Festa musicale included in this concert programme. It was composed in 1725 for the anniversary of the then-king of Sweden, Frederick I. As well as the operatic excerpts and the cantata, the artists will also perform La pace di Kamberga – an oratorio by Johann David Heinichen, an artist involved in the court of Augustus II the Strong.