24.01.2019

OLIVIA VERMEULEN at the Opéra de Paris

With the oratorio Il Primo Omicidio ovvero Caino, first performed in Venice in 1707, Scarlatti created a remarkable musical setting of the Old Testament tale of Cain and Abel, which stands out due to his highly original use of individual instruments. Unlike many oratorio texts, the libretto is not in Latin, but in the language of opera, i.e. Italian. The audience witnesses the first murder in the history of mankind: Adam and Eve lament their fall, due to which they were driven out of Paradise.

In the role of Abel, the internationally sought-after mezzo-soprano Olivia Vermeulen makes her role and house debut at the Opéra National de Paris, musically supported by René Jacobs, whose multiple award-winning recording of the work was released by the Harmonia Mundi label. Romeo Castellucci, the 2018/19 season artist at the Opéra de Paris, where he most recently directed a production of Schoenberg’s Moses und Aron, is responsible for the staging of the work.

Cast

Kristina Hammarström, Caino
Olivia Vermeulen, Abel
Birgitte Christensen, Eva
Thomas Walker, Adamo
Benno Schachtner, Voce di Dio
Robert Gleadow, Voce di Lucifero