The Triumph of Innocence through Magnanimity and Faith or DAVID VICTORIOUS Oratorio for solos, choir and orchestra

From 1697 and for almost the next twenty years, Reinhard Keiser was the house composer and indisputable star of the first public opera house in Germany, the Hamburgische Oper on the Gänsemarkt. Formerly a pupil of Bach's predecessor as Thomaskantor, Johann Schelle, Keiser came to Hamburg from the ducal court in Brunswick, bringing about what was to be the Hanseatic public opera's artistic heyday, and the notorious bankruptcies aside, its economic heyday too. The young Handel was a violinist in the orchestra in Hamburg for a short while before moving on to Italy (partly because Hamburg already had its own local heroes) and was indebted to Keiser for a number of inspirations, although the latter's exclusively German-language operas did not, however, set the fashion and opera long continued to be sung only in Italian. In the Protestant oratorio things were different and Keiser's David Victorious is one of the most important works from the early years of the genre. Unlike Handel, whose Saul presented the Old Testament story of David and Goliath, Saul and Jonathan as a human drama about twenty years later, Keiser links the dramatic oratorio with the religious action in a unique manner. Great choir scenes, warlike double choirs, brilliant and sensitive arias alternate with allegorical scenes of ›godloving‹, ›devout‹ and ›religious souls‹ as well as with the chorales of the ›Christian congregation‹; David Victorious brings the opera audience and the religious congregation closer to one another. This is due in large part to Keiser's much praised and colourful instrumentation, including chalumeaux, lutes and a glockenspiel – a baroque masterpiece to be rediscovered at the RuhrTriennale, with ChorWerk Ruhr and Musica Antiqua Köln.