Scarlatti, A: Euridice Dall'Inferno

Featuring

Melissa Givens
Barrett Sills
Richard Savino
Matthew Dirst
Deborah Dunham
Gerrod Pagenkopf

Joseph Gaines
Timothy Jones
Ars Lyrica Houston
Alessandro Scarlatti

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Composition History

Scarlatti composed keyboard works, including the Toccata in A major, later in life after moving to Naples and semi-retiring from Rome and Venice.

Composition History

Scarlatti's cantata Euridice dall'Inferno, dated June 17, 1699, is one of his finest, exploring the nymph's uncertain fate in the underworld through three recitative-aria pairs.

Performer Biography

Ars Lyrica Houston, founded in 1998 by harpsichordist and conductor Matthew Dirst, performs Baroque music using period instruments and is known for its distinctive programming of little-known works.

Historical Context

Pope Clement XI, who shared a history with Scarlatti, effectively silenced doubts about Mary's fetal soul by making the Feast of the Immaculate Conception a holiday of obligation in 1708.

Historical Context

Scarlatti's oratorio La Concettione della Beata Vergine, first performed in Rome in 1703, promoted the doctrine of Mary's immaculate conception, which was a debated theological issue at the time.

Interpretation

This recording of Scarlatti's Cello Sonata features an 18th-century Italian four-string cello with a continuo including an Italian-style harpsichord, archlute, and violone.

Composer Biography

Alessandro Scarlatti, a master of Baroque opera seria, was highly regarded by aristocratic patrons for his chamber cantatas, writing over six hundred such works.