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Knechtsteden Early Music Festival: NAPOLI!

In the year of Alessandro Scarlatti, the Knechtsteden Early Music Festival heads south and pays homage to the baroque music metropolis of Naples from September 20 to 27

Rediscovered oratorio with Conti's "La Colpa Originale" at the opening // Great vocal works by Handel, Scarlatti, Traetta // Illustrious line-up of artists with guest stars Bruno de Sá, Nuria Rial and the festival ensembles Rheinische Kantorei and Concerto Köln // Special Arvo Pärt concert to mark the 90th anniversary on June 1 // New MOVIMENTO edition on the Erft and Niers on September 7 // Ticket sales start on May 2, tickets can be reserved in advance via Freundeskreis

Even for the ancient Romans, Naples was a place of longing and a culmination of artistic inspiration, and in the Baroque period, the city on Mount Vesuvius became the center of the music world. Even today, it is synonymous with an overflowing treasure trove of musical superlatives in composition and instrument making and the birthplace of world-class Baroque vocal stars. The Knechtsteden Early Music Festival is now preparing to celebrate the 300th anniversary of the death of the Neapolitan composer Alessandro Scarlatti with nine musical productions ranging from the rediscovery of an oratorio to great vocal works and top-class chamber music from September 20 to 27. Advance ticket sales start on May 2, and members of the Freundeskreis can already reserve tickets now.

About the Knechtsteden Early Music Festival

Founded in 1992 by Hermann Max, the Knechtsteden Early Music Festival has become one of the leading original music festivals in Germany over the past 32 years under the direction of its founder, with almost 300 festival concerts and countless CD recordings. The partners WDR and Deutschlandfunk have helped to bring the many musical rarities from Knechtsteden productions to international prominence, making Knechtsteden Monastery in the Rhineland synonymous with a place of exchange and the finest original sound. Michael Rathmann has been festival director since 2024, and Dorothee Oberlinger will be artist in residence in 2025.

About Dorothee Oberlinger

Dorothee Oberlinger - recorder player, ensemble director, conductor, festival director and university professor, honorary citizen of her home town and winner of the Telemann Prize of the City of Magdeburg and the Federal Cross of Merit First Class - is one of the most influential personalities in early music today. Opera conducting and staged productions of baroque operas and serenatas with her Ensemble 1700 are a focal point of her work. From the music of the 17th and 18th centuries, she repeatedly builds bridges to the present day At the Mozarteum Salzburg, she heads the Department for Wind & Percussion Instruments. She has been the director of the Arolsen Baroque Festival since 2009 and has also directed the Potsdam Sanssouci Music Festival since 2018. As artist in residence, she is associated with the Knechtsteden Early Music Festival with two productions in the 2026 edition.