In 455, the tribe of the Vandals lived up to their name when they, along with their king Gaiseric, paid an unforgettable visit to the eternal city of Rome. The literal birth of Vandalism forms the backdrop to this spectacular opera. On 13 July 1722, Georg Philipp Telemann demonstrated with this stage work that the hanseatic city of Hamburg had just appointed him as it's new opera director for the best of reasons. Der Sieg der Schonheit (The Victory of Beauty) is an intricately baroque love story with a quadruple happy ending, over the course of which all kinds of uncertainties have to be overcome. The composer pulls out all the musical and dramaturgical stops at his disposal, including captivating arias, grand choruses, martial music and intimate emotions. The result was a resounding success with audiences, a victory of beauty that - as can be heard here - still echoes today.
