Fraud, love affairs and murder – surprisingly enough, these do not summarise the libretto of Alessandro Stradella’s oratorio San Giovanni Battista, but they do perfectly encapsulate the composer's turbulent life and the growing legend that surrounded him as a seducer of noblemen's daughters, a swindler and a rogue. Already in the early eighteenth century, stories circulated that the assassins sent to kill Stradella had been so moved by the beauty of his music that they abandoned their murderous mission at the last moment. Although his life was not, in fact, spared, the sensational tale of Stradella only continued to fire the imagination of later generations, inspiring Romantic operas and literary works. An equally merciless fate awaits the protagonist of his magnificent oratorio: according to the biblical story, the head of John the Baptist became the bloody reward for the sensual dance performed before Herod Antipas by his stepdaughter Salome.

This harrowing story has exerted a powerful fascination on artists for centuries, and Stradella’s oratorio is regarded as one of its most compelling musical incarnations. The work was commissioned by a Florentine confraternity based in Rome and was first performed as part of a lavish cycle of fourteen oratorios presented during the opening months of 1675.

At this concert, the title role will be sung by Jakub Józef Orliński. He will be joined by the outstanding ensemble Il Pomo d'Oro, returning to the Warsaw Philharmonic after the success of last season’s performance of George Frideric Handel's Giulio Cesare in Egitto. Once again, the ensemble will be led by the distinguished early music specialist Francesco Corti.

Bartłomiej Gembicki