[2025/2026] An ode to the disapearing women of history.
A Collabaration with the Orchesta of the eighteenth Century and Kate Moore
Composer Marianna Martines
As a young girl, Marianna Martines shared a house with the struggling composer Joseph Haydn and the flamboyant poet and librettist Pietro Metastasio. As a woman, she captivated both the royal family and the public with her expressive voice, virtuoso harpsichord playing, and fiery compositions. Later, as a teacher, she founded a singing school for girls, shaping the voices of Vienna’s finest 18th-century performers.
More than 200 years later, O18c and Elisabeth Hetherington bring her back to life on stage. Central to the performance are two of her finest works: ‘La Tempeste’ and ‘Berenice, ah che fai’. Around these, the orchestra weaves music by her contemporary, Haydn, and a completely new composition by Kate Moore. Martines’ story is not one of oblivion; it is one of resilience, triumph, and unwavering character
The Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century and soprano Elisabeth Hetherington have created a programme that would look at her vast musical output, as well as the music that painted the landscape of her life.
Composer Kate Moore
Combined with the fiery, virtuosity and serenely beautiful moments, the programme is completed with the commission of Kate Moore. In addition to beauty and complexity of her compositions, Moore’s interest in Early Music and ancient techniques, as well as her
text writing, and inclusion of unusual instruments makes her the ideal composer for this project. Moore will provide a reflection on the life of Marianna Martines and seemingly unavoidable fate of women of history: to disappear to time.