Vivaldi Juditha Triumphans

Vivaldi may be best remembered for his virtuosic concertos but, as anyone familiar with his famous D major Gloria will know, he also had a real ear for vocal sonorities. His only surviving oratorio, Juditha Triumphans, has until recently been a well-kept secret. The biblical story of Judith overcoming Holofernes and his army (beheading him herself–no shrinking violet she) was popular with both librettists and composers, offering plenty of opportunities for exuberant tub-thumping. And these Vivaldi seizes eagerly, the opening rabble-rousing chorus (here preceded by a sinfonia reconstructed by Vivaldi scholar Michael Talbot) setting the tone in truly martial fashion.

Vivaldi's oratorio Juditha triumphans is not just a musical military exercise (it is indeed explicitly called "Sacrum militare oratorio") during the Turkish siege of Corfu in 1716. This was 'delicate' for Venice, but also an impressive performance show of the vocal and instrumental possibilities of the Ospedale della Piet.

Australia's most exciting opera company, Pinchgut Opera has attracted rave reviews since making its debut with Handel's Semele in 2002. ABC Classics has been with Pinchgut all the way, releasing all five of their previous productions on CD to critical acclaim; the magic continues with Pinchgut's performance of Vivaldi's Juditha Triumphans. Enter a world of musical ecstasy with the exquisite voices of Pinchgut and the subtle beauty of rare Baroque instruments in Vivaldi's gripping tale of virtue, passion and revenge.

‘Judith triumphant over the barbarians of Holofernes’ is the only survivor of the four oratorios that Vivaldi is known to have composed. The work was commissioned to celebrate the victory of the Republic of Venice over the Turks during the siege of Corfu. All characters, male and female, are interpreted by women (originally the singers of the Ospedale della Pietà in Venice). Although the rest of the oratorio survives completely intact, the overture has been lost and Jordi Savall has selected two existing concertos as introduction, of which the key, mode and no doubt date of composition coincide most closely with the subject of the oratorio.

Vivaldi wrote Juditha Triumphans for the musically talented women of the Ospedale della Pieta, the Venetian orphanage with which he was associated on and off throughout most of his working life. The librettist, Giacomo Cassetti, described the work as a ''sacred military oratorio performed in times of war by the chorus of virgin singers, to be sung in the church of the Pieta''. The war was that into which Venice had entered against the Ottoman Empire and to which reference is made both in the body of the Latin text and in a ''Carmen Allegoricum'' which accompanied the text of the work's first performance.

Vivaldi’s only surviving oratorio‚ Juditha triumphans (1716)‚ with its strongly characterised roles and luxuriant orchestration‚ is a true Baroque masterpiece. Like Handel’s Roman oratorio‚ La Resurrezione (1708)‚ Vivaldi’s Venetian Juditha was designed to impress its audiences. The Ospedale della Pietà‚ where Vivaldi was maestro dei concerti‚ competed with three other similar institutions for the patronage of wealthy Venetians‚ and the annual Lenten performances offered the perfect opportunity.

Juditha triumphans devicta Holofernis barbarie (Judith triumphant over the barbarians of Holofernes), RV 644, is an oratorio by Antonio Vivaldi, the only survivor of the four that he is known to have composed. The libretto was written by Iacopo Cassetti based upon the Book of Judith. Though the balance has been ably redressed in recent years, the appearance of this new recording of Juditha Triumphans is welcome.