Cavalli composed more than 40 operas. Less than a dozen have been recorded. L'Orione an opera in three acts and a prologue is about No. 27 and was first heard in Milan in 1653 to celebrate the election of Ferdinand IV as King of the Romans. This September 27, 1998 performance (in a new critical edition by Andrea Marcon derived from the manuscript in the Biblioteca Nazionale Marciana, Venice) in Venice is the first in the modem era. The plot is derived from the ancient Greek legend of the giant Orion told in Ovid's Fasti, rewritten in Natale Conte's Mythologiae, and finally dramatized in Francesco Meloslo's libretto for Cavalli. The libretto takes the opportunity for humor, using the plight of the blind Orion to make fun of the gods, as was common in so many Venetian librettos of the time.
Volume 70 of the Vivaldi Edition revives a serenade by the "Red Priest" led with brio by Andrea Buccarella, his Abchordis Ensemble and a triad of vibrant soloists. In spite of the warning from her friend Nice, the nymph Eurilla is in love with the shepherd Alcindo, and, to punish him for his lack of enthusiasm, tries to trick him into loving her. The story is simple, the trio of characters borrowed from Arcadia and the playful tone, as befits this type of open-air cantata composed for political, dynastic or private celebrations. The Serenata a tre RV 690, under Vivaldi's pen, nevertheless possesses all the qualities of an exquisitely polished miniature opera that is also light-hearted.
Volume 70 of the Vivaldi Edition revives a serenade by the "Red Priest" led with brio by Andrea Buccarella, his Abchordis Ensemble and a triad of vibrant soloists. In spite of the warning from her friend Nice, the nymph Eurilla is in love with the shepherd Alcindo, and, to punish him for his lack of enthusiasm, tries to trick him into loving her. The story is simple, the trio of characters borrowed from Arcadia and the playful tone, as befits this type of open-air cantata composed for political, dynastic or private celebrations. The Serenata a tre RV 690, under Vivaldi's pen, nevertheless possesses all the qualities of an exquisitely polished miniature opera that is also light-hearted.