The oratorio's libretto combines different parts of the Book of Daniel, including later chapters considered apocryphal, allowing for the dramatic addition of Bel and the smoke-loving dragon.
Composition History
This recording features Francesco Scarlatti's only surviving oratorio, 'Il Daniele nel lago de' leoni' (Daniel in the Lions' Den), which exists complete in an autograph score in the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge.
Compositional Technique
Francesco Scarlatti's 'Daniele' includes an echo aria where the echoes are played by two instruments, likely a violin and viola, to represent the cavernous acoustics of the lions' den.
Composer Biography
Francesco Scarlatti moved to London in 1719, where work for musicians was plentiful, and later moved to Dublin in 1733.
Composer Biography
Francesco Scarlatti, the composer of this oratorio, was the brother of the well-known opera composer Alessandro Scarlatti and uncle to Domenico Scarlatti.
Performer Biography
Armonico Consort, the ensemble on this recording, has been recognized as the world's leading authority on the choral works of Francesco Scarlatti.
Composer Biography
Francesco Scarlatti worked as leader of the court orchestra under his brother Alessandro in Naples for seven years before returning to Palermo in 1691.
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