Music lovers in Bolesławiec had a unique opportunity to hear two works from the Baroque period: a fragment of Hasse’s opera “The Dream of Scipio” and a Bach cantata composed for the 11th birthday of Elector of Saxony Friedrich Christian, based on a story by Prodicus of Ceos. The Wratislavia Cantans concert took place at the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Nicholas. The works were performed by outstanding German soloists and the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra, playing historical instruments, under the baton of Jarosław Thiel.
The libretto for “The Dream of Scipio” was written by the greatest librettist in history, Pietro Metastasio. The author was inspired by the ancient Roman orator and philosopher Cicero’s treatise “On the Republic.” In the story about Scipio’s dream, he conveyed the lesson that rulers should resist the temptation to pursue their own pleasures and act prudently, always placing the good of the state first.
Johann Sebastian Bach’s secular cantata has content very similar to “The Dream of Scipio.” In the parable based on a story by Prodicus of Ceos, the young Hercules encounters personifications of Virtue and Desire at a crossroads, and the hero must choose what he will make the supreme value in his life.
The works, which speak of the qualities of a good ruler and a righteous hero, fit into this year’s festival theme of reflection on governance and the fate of states, addressing the issue of freeing oneself from the bonds of egoism and the pursuit of pleasure. They also evoke the period of Poland’s cultural splendor in the eighteenth century, whose traditions are referenced by the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra.
The city’s mayor, Piotr Roman, invited the people of Bolesławiec to the free concert. The musicians were hosted by the Reverend Prelate, Dr. habil. Andrzej Jarosiewicz.