Alessandro Scarlatti: Baroque Influencer

Featuring

Dorothee Oberlinger
Bruno De Sá
Helena Rasker
Ensemble 1700
Alessandro Scarlatti

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Historical Context

Scarlatti was named maestro di cappella at the Cappella Reale in Naples in 1684, a city that was then a Spanish viceroyalty at the foot of Mount Vesuvius.

Composer Biography

Alessandro Scarlatti, born in Palermo in 1660, began his prolific career at age 18, composing his first oratorio and opera within weeks of his first professional appointment.

Performer Biography

Dorothee Oberlinger, the recorder player and director of Ensemble 1700, has received numerous national and international awards, including Opus Klassik and Echo Klassik Awards.

Critical Reception

Johann Adolf Hasse, a later court Kapellmeister in Dresden, reportedly described Alessandro Scarlatti as 'the greatest master of harmony in Italy and, hence, in the entire world'.

Compositional Technique

Scarlatti often used a three-movement "Sinfonia" (fast-slow-fast) as an instrumental overture to his longer vocal works, a model that influenced the development of the Classical symphony.

Instruments

In Scarlatti's Naples, the recorder (flauto dolce) was a popular solo instrument, often used to mimic a human voice, singing wordless arias and recitatives.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Alessandro Scarlatti, considered a "Baroque influencer," was highly influential in European musical life from the late 17th to the 18th century, particularly in opera and the secular cantata.