"Das verwunschene Glück"
Opera by Antonio Draghi (1673) at the Styriarte Festival 2025 in Graz, Austria
In the year 1673 Eggenberg Palace was resplendent for it was here that Archduchess Claudia Felicitas of Austria resided during the magnificent wedding celebrations for her marriage to Leopold 1. Beforehand, an intrigue at the Viennese Court very nearly prevented the marriage of this self-confident, musical woman to the Emperor but those who were envious of her failed to get their way.
And it is this that court composer Antonio Draghi describes in his charming opera ballet Gl'incatesimi disciolti (Spells Dispelled), which had its premiere at the wedding of Emperor Leopold I and Claudia Felizitas in Graz. In the opera, Happiness and Goodwill fall in love but evil Envy casts a spell on them and they part. Only when Heaven intervenes is order restored. A fairy tale in the Planet Hall.
Duration: about 70 minutes without a break
Musical direction/Reconstruction of the orchestral part: Michael Hell
Dramaturgy/German text version: Thomas Höft
Choreography/Staging: Mareike Franz
Set design: Lilli Hartmann
Musical ensemble: Art House 17
Singers: Sophie Daneman, Johanna Rosa Falkinger, Julian Habermann, Dietrich Henschel, Anna Manske, Markus Schäfer
Dancers: Klara Beyeler, Mareike Franz, Anna Huma, Anne-Marie Warburton
Photos by: Nikola Milatovic Photography
