Nel profondo, from Orlando Furioso

Vivaldi also produced a great deal of vocal music, including such sacred masterworks as the Gloria in D (heard last summer) and the Dixit Dominus (heard last evening). Among his operas is Orlando furioso, RV 728, which sets scenes from the 1532 epic poem of that name by Ludovico Ariosto. Ariosto’s poem inspired operas from Caccini to Lully and Handel, and Vivaldi himself was involved with at least three different projects on Orlando. The aria “Nel profondo” from his 1727 musical drama occurs in the first act, expressing the title character’s jealousy of a rival. It is a powerful statement, defiant and virtuosic, and has become one of the signature moments in all Baroque opera.

(c) Jason Stell