Easter Italian oratorio by František Xaver Richter

For this week's special Easter Sunday Music Show, we'll be presenting music from the only Italian oratorio by František Xaver Richter, an 18th-century Czech composer, musician, and educator, who was also a leading figure of the Mannheim School.

František Xaver Richter was born in 1709 in Holešov, near Zlín, but spent most of his life abroad, studying music in Vienna and Italy. In 1746, he joined the renowned Mannheim orchestra, placing him at the heart of the progressive European music scene.

Franz Xaver Richter|Photo: Christophe Guérin, Wikimedia Commons/Gallica Digital Library, public domain

While his chamber and orchestral compositions played a significant role in the emerging classicist style, he never abandoned his traditional Baroque techniques. His oratorio, La Deposizione dalla croce di Gesú Cristo, blends early classicist innovations with Baroque compositional principles.

The oratorio was first and most likely only performed on Good Friday in 1748 at the Mannheim court church of The Visitation of Our Lady.

In 2016, it was recorded by the Czech Ensemble Baroque Orchestra and Czech Ensemble Baroque Choir, conducted by Roman Válek, with Katřina Kněžíková and Jaroslav Březina in the lead roles.