Mozart: Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots, K. 35

The young Wolfgang, aged only 10, composed the oratorio Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots (The Duty of the First Commandment) in 1767 on his return to Salzburg after a fabulous tour of Europe with his father Leopold and his sister. It's rich and varied orchestration reveals Mozart's precocious talent in using instrumentation to enrich the musical narrative and accentuate the emotions of the drama. The libretto depicts a half-hearted Christian who, thanks to Divine Mercy and Justice, is led back to the path of virtue by the Spirit of Christianity, despite the temptations of the Spirit of the world. Camille Delaforge and Il Caravaggio gracefully underline the harmonic skill of this most famous of musicians.