The Acts of Moses in the Desert

Academy artistic director Jeremy Rhizor aims to create a comprehensive and totally original listening experience in the Academy’s oratorio performances. In “The Acts of Moses in the Desert”, he combines a masterful 17th-century oratorio, Pasquini’s I fatti di Mosè nel deserto in an American premiere with a lecture and reception at its midpoint. The text is based on Exodus 17-18. Moses, his successor Joshua, and a narrator vividly recall the challenges and successes of the Hebrews in the wilderness for Jethro, Moses’s father-in-law. In Act II, the people of Israel battle the Amalekites.

cast: Fiona Gillespie, Ian Pomerantz, Ryland Angel, Corey Shotwell
director and speaker: Jeremy Rhizor
genres: sacred drama, oratorio, biblical drama, Baroque music, Italian music, Italian-language libretto

The recreation of this forgotten oratorio was made possible by a new edition based on the 1687 manuscript in the Biblioteca Estense Universitaria, Modena transcribed and edited by Jeremy Rhizor and Leili Zhang. Additionally, a new English translation was written by Elisabeth K. Pace based on the 1687 printed libretto in Biblioteca Estense Universitaria, Modena.

The Academy of Sacred Drama’s oratorio performances move beyond passive entertainments to engaging experiences of cultural value through the organization’s rediscovery of forgotten musical treasures, restoration of historical performance formats, and unification of high-quality music-making with social and intellectual exploration. Believed to be the American premiere of Bernardo Pasquini’s I fatti di Mosè nel deserto, the Academy’s April 2019 performances will be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness the revival of this masterful full-scale work in a format that parallels its premiere.

Director, Musicians, Speaker

Jeremy Rhizor, director, speaker, and violin

Fiona Gillespie, Mosé (soprano)
Ian Pomerantz, Getro (baritone)
Ryland Angel, Giosuè (countertenor)
Corey Shotwell, Testo (tenor)

Noemy Gagnon-Lafrenais, violin
Daniel McCarthy, viola
Oliver Weston, cello
Marc Bellassai, harpsichord
Robert Warner, organ

Program Information
I fatti di Mosè nel deserto (1687)
composer: Bernardo Pasquini (1637–1710)
librettist: Giovanni Battista Giardini (b.1650)

Edition based on the 1687 manuscript in the Biblioteca Estense Universitaria, Modena
edition: Jeremy Rhizor and Leili Zhang

Translation based on 1687 printed libretto in Biblioteca Estense Universitaria, Modena
translation: Dr. Elisabeth K. Pace