From the Salzburg Festival: "Il Re Pastore" (The Shepherd King) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, conducted and directed by Thomas Hengelbrock. With Kresimir Spicer (Alessandro), Annette Dasch (Aminta), Marlis Petersen (Elisa), Arpiné Rahdjian (Tamiri), Andreas Karasiak (Agenore) and the Balthasar-Neumann-Ensemble. Critics were unanimous in their praise of the opening production of the Mozart22 project at the Salzburg Festival 2006: the premiere of the serenata "Il re pastore". It was composed in early 1775 for the visit to Salzburg of Archduke Maximilian. As in "La finta giardiniera" of the previous year, it takes up the motif of the trials of love and virtue in a pastoral setting. The shepherd Aminta unexpectedly learns that he is the rightful heir to a kingdom. Initially delighted to become a king, Aminta loses his enthusiasm when he learns he must marry Tamiri instead of his beloved Elisa.