The first release in a new partnership between The Mozartists and Signum Records begins with Mozart's remarkable sacred singspiel, composed when he was just 11.

The story follows the efforts of The Spirit of Christianity (Andrew Kennedy) – aided by Divine Justice (Cora Burggraaf) and Divine Mercy (Sarah Fox) – to win back the heart of a lapsed Christian (Allan Clayton) as he lies fast asleep. In opposition to these efforts, however, stands The Spirit of Worldliness (Sophie Bevan), who urges the Christian to forget what The Spirit shows him and to follow her pleasure-seeking philosophies. As Justice and Mercy withdraw to observe, The Spirit of Christianity seeks to win back the lapsed Christian, but will this lost soul be able to resist the temptations of indulgence and short-term satisfaction that Worldliness offers?

This release of 'Die Schuldigkeit des ersten Gebots' is the second in The Mozartists’ ambitious 20-volume series (following the release of 'Apollo et Hyacinthus' on Linn Records in 2012), with plans to release one Mozart opera and one further disc a year on Signum.

The second disc in this 2CD set is an Enhanced CD, featuring an exclusive 10-minute feature on the making of the recording. The booklet includes full texts and translations of the libretto.