Alessandro Scarlatti (1660 - 1725). L'Orfeo: cantata for voice (S), two violins, and basso continuo

The Orpheus myth is central to the symbolic representation of the power of music, synonymous with the birth of opera itself. In his wide-ranging article “Orpheus, Ovid and Opera,” Frederick Sternfeld cites twenty settings of the Orpheus myth from 1599–1699, including intermedii, ballets, and masques, as well as operas. Within the genre of the Italian chamber cantata (not included in Sternfeld’s table of Orpheus settings), there are also several notable Orfeo settings. Probably the most widely performed of these––no doubt due to the popularity of its composer, Giovanni Battista Pergolesi—is the cantata Nel chiuso centro (two recitatives and arias) for soprano, strings, and continuo, presumed to be composed during the period 1730–35. Alessandro Scarlatti's 'L'Orfeo', dating from ca.1700-1702, is a passionate and substantial work for soprano, violins and continuo, consisting of five recitatives and arias with instrumental introduction.