First part of re­li­gious sing­spiel K. 35 (1767)
Lib­retto: Ig­naz Ant­on Weiser

"Die Schuldigkeit des er­sten Ge­bots" is an al­leg­or­ic­al drama in three parts that was first per­formed in the Arch­bish­op’s res­id­ence in March 1767. Moz­art com­posed the first part. The work is an off­shoot of the 17th–cen­tury tra­di­tion of the Je­suit school drama in which the char­ac­ters are purely sym­bol­ic.

Here, the "luke­warm Chris­ti­an" be­comes the ob­ject of con­ten­tion between two au­thor­it­ies. World­li­ness tempts him with the pleas­ures of the senses; a trio formed by Justice, Mercy and Chris­ti­an Spir­it urges him to choose and act­ive Chris­ti­an life. Moz­art in­cluded such subtle mu­sic­al touches as a ¾ dance rhythm and merry wood­winds de­ployed by World­li-ness and an alto trom­bone that sumons the hero to the Last Judge­ment – an in­stru­ment­al col­or that will ap­pear prom­in­ently in "Don Gio­vanni".

Michicko Watanabe, Gerechtigkeit
Cordula Schuster, Barm­herzigkeit
Chris­ti­ane Karg, Welt­geist
Bernhard Ber­chtold, Christ­geist
Peter Sonn, Christ

Moz­ar­teum Uni­versity Sym­phony Or­ches­tra

Josef Wallnig, con­duct­or
John Dew, stage dir­ect­or
Chris­ti­an K. Weiß, video dir­ect­or

Re­cord­ing dates: 04.08.| 27.08.| 28.08.2006
Ven­ue: Great Hall of the Salzburg Uni­versity