Despite the many scandals in his life, Alessandro Stradella rose to a position of great eminence in Rome, where his music was consistently acclaimed. At a time when opera was often denigrated by the Papacy, Stradella’s cantatas and serenatas proved enormously successful, their form housing a succession of recitatives, arias and instrumental pieces. The theme is the pain of love, to which Stradella responds with a limitless variety of expression and virtuosity, whether in the soprano echo effects of Arsi già di una fiamma, the near-operatic breadth of Or ch’alla dea notturna or the structural perfection of Infinite son le pene.

The Alessandro Stradella Consort is a vocal and instrumental ensemble, formerly called the Camerata Ligure, founded in July 1987 by Estévan Velardi. It focuses on the Italian baroque repertoire on period instruments. Its musical exploration ranges from the Renaissance to the present, ranging from vocal or instrumental duo to a grandiose opera or oratorio with vocal soloists, chorus and a large orchestra. It is especially dedicated to reviving rare or unpublished works by Italian composers of the late 17th-early 18th centuries. Its recordings comprise a vast repertoire including instrumental and vocal/instrumental works, oratorios and operas for several labels beside Dynamic.