Universität Leipzig: Cantata by the composer Nicola Vaccaj performed again

A previously unknown cantata by composer Nicola Vaccaj (1790-1848) has been rediscovered and edited by Leipzig ERC researcher Riccardo Mandelli. The work has now been performed again for the first time.

Nicola Vaccaj, Fanfara e Introduzione all’Inno Nazionale (1838). Photo: Archivio Storico Ricordi © Ricordi & C. Milano

Written for the Milanese coronation of Austrian Emperor Ferdinand I in 1838, the Cantata was found in the Ricordi Archive in Milan. The piece was performed at the Teatro alla Scala in the presence of the Emperor as part of the celebrations preceding the coronation.

After nearly two centuries, an arrangement of excerpts from the work was performed at the Alte Senatssaal of Leipzig University on 19 September 2024, during a conference organized by the Leipzig-based ERC project “Opera and the Politics of Empire in Habsburg Europe.” Contralto Monika Jägerová performed the piece together with Annette Fischer (clarinet), Yuri Demetz (piano), and Axel Körner (violoncello).