‘The Infernal Comedy’ is a drama with music, based around the character of the serial killer Johann “Jack” Unterweger. The music incorporated in the play is by a range of composers including Vivaldi, Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. On this recording of a live performance that took place in Vienna in July 2009, the title role is brought to life by legendary screen actor John Malkovich. The Orchester Wiener Akademie is conducted by Martin Haselböck, who also devised the musical concept for the drama.
In 1974 an Austrian citizen, Johann “Jack” Unterweger, was convicted of the murder of a German prostitute. After a period of 15 years in prison, during which time he became an acknowledged author, Unterweger was released on parole after a campaign led by several important figures and intellectuals, which claimed that he was a prime example of successful social rehabilitation. He went on to commit a series of murders, at some point disappearing from Vienna and fleeing to the U.S.A. He was eventually arrested in Miami and extradited to Austria, where he committed suicide after being found guilty of eleven cases of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Unterweger’s victims in ‘The Infernal Comedy’ are performed and sung on this recording by the sopranos Laura Aikin and Aleksandra Zamojska, with the arias taken from Mozart, Haydn, Weber and Vivaldi operas. Instrumental music by Gluck and Boccherini is used as a background to the text.