At the height of his powers, Scarlatti arrived in 1703 from Naples, bringing with him the latest musical fashions. Although opera performances were banned there by Pope Innocent XII, the themes of Christian faith found new expression in the oratorio using the means of modern musical drama. George Frideric Handel was at the heart of the action as the harpsichordist in Scarlatti's Marian oratorio Il Giardino di rose and was able to close the 1708 oratorio season with his work La Resurrezione . A year earlier, the young Handel had written his psalm setting Dixit Dominus – a masterpiece of Baroque choral music. In 1720, Scarlatti was commissioned by Cardinal Francesco Acquaviva d'Aragona to compose his eponymous Messa di S. Cecilia

Martha Matscheko

Events

Past events

Sep 27, 2025

Knechtseden Early Music Festival · Concerto Köln

Future and recently performed repertoire

Singer in Dixit Dominus by Handel

Concerto Köln

Singer in Messa di Santa Cecilia by Scarlatti

Concerto Köln

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