Alessandro Scarlatti wrote his oratorio “Sedecia, re di Gerusalemme” during a period in which there was a Papal ban on operas (in 1706 an edict was issued to prohibit “under severe penalty all comedies, revelry and all sort of carnival entertainments”). However the sacred texts of the oratorio were just a thin disguise for the drama, vocal brilliance and intrigue of the opera, qualities Alessandro Scarlatti excelled in, as we know from all his oratorios ?nd operas. The oratorio deals with the biblical story of Zedekiah (from the Book of Kings) in his wars against the Babylonian kings. The music expresses all the drama of the heroic acts, ending in triumph or tragedy. Performed by one of the leading protagonists of the revival of Alessandro Scarlatti: Est?van Velardi, conductor and scholar, and his instrumental ensemble Alessandro Stradella Consort, playing period instruments. Extensive liner notes are included in the booklet, the original sung texts are available on the Brilliant Classics website.
