DOVE E AMORE E GELOSIA

Where there is love, there is jealousy – A unique resconstruction of historical opera performance

The castle complex of the UNESCO world heritage site ?eský Krumlov rising above the river Vltava is a world unto its own, not comparable to any other such structure in the world. In the castle is a Baroque theater with completely preserved machinery, costumes and props. Only a limited number of visitors are allowed a look into this magic world of Baroque theater.

Next to these actual historical objects, the theater also boasts a rich library of valuable archival documents such as librettos, scripts, iconographic material, and other information on theater life in the 17th to 19th centuries. After a long and arduous search for a work suitable for such an ambitious project, the scores of the opera “Dove è amore è gelosia” were found in these archives. For the celebration of the wedding of his son Prince Joseph Adam of Schwarzenberg, the Duke of Krumlov commissioned Giuseppe Scarlatti in 1768 to compose this opera buffa. The performance at the Baroque theater was conducted by Scarlatti himself.

In this historical reconstruction of opera performance, one can admire the original theater stocks such as the building, auditorium, orchestra pit, stage, stage technology, machinery, decorations, costumes, props, lighting technology, and so on. Thanks to the surviving historical documents and objects, it was possible to reconstruct this unique event and to finally make the magical world of Baroque theater accessible to a broad public.

The opera is directed by Ond?ej Havelka. His experience and his opera projects are a guarantee for a brilliant production that complies with all historical aspects of the Baroque theatre.