Charpantier: Judith – The First French Oratorio
Lecture
Interactive
Szervezés:
This programme is held in Hungarian.
The interactive educational series Hangadó by Árpád Tóth, as old as the House itself, has reached its 5th season. In the 2026/27 season, we will once again discover well-known and lesser-known chapters from a thousand years of music history through special cross-sections and unusual perspectives, while the basic premise of the performances remains the same: it is simply impossible to go home from this event without humming.
Shortly after the Italian birth of the oratorio genre, it appeared in Paris as well, following the activity of Marc-Antoine Charpentier. His musical settings of Latin texts originally from the Old Testament of the Bible—virtually without adaptation—first appear in the form of dramatic motets in stories of strong women. Among these, the very first is immediately a large-scale masterpiece: Judith, who, exploiting her femininity, infiltrates the enemy camp and beheads the enemy general, Holofernes, thus saving her city, Bethulia. Despite the work’s obscurity, it is a worthy forerunner of more famous compositions based on the same story: Vivaldi’s Juditha Triumphans and Mozart’s Bethulia Liberata. Let us delve into the depths of Charpentier’s genius!
Dear Visitor, We kindly inform you that during the event, photographs, audio recordings, and/or video recordings may be taken. By attending the event, you consent to the recording of such materials through your implied conduct.
This programme is held in Hungarian.
In addition to the popular Hangadó performances, Árpád Tóth, a singing and music teacher known for his accessible lectures, is launching a new series.
The series, entitled Under the Magnifying Glass, is aimed at those who like to delve deeper into the works: the usual 90-minute interactive lectures detail a lesser-known, great piece in many aspects, while the accessible analysis is complemented by the participation of a young, professional vocal ensemble, Capella Columbae.
