<byline><![CDATA[Invernizzi, Gens, Genaux, Agnew, Abbondanza;<br>Europa Galante, conducted by Fabio Biondi.<br>Released on Virgin Classics<br>Hugh CanningΓÇÖs insider view]]></byline>
<body><![CDATA[Among the 40 or so Italian oratorios by the elder Scarlatti, The Holy Trinity – first performed in Rome in 1715, a decade before his death – is a throwback to the allegorical works of the previous decade, of which Handel’s Roman oratorio, Il trionfo del tempo e del disinganno (The Triumph of Time and Disillusionment) is perhaps the most familiar today. Essentially a debate about the Trinity between the personifications of Faith (Roberta Invernizzi), Faithlessness (Paul Agnew), Divine Love (Véronique Gens), Theology (Vivica Genaux) and Time (Roberto Abbondanza), this is a superb sequence of quasi-operatic arias and duets, designed to show off the vocal prowess of virtuoso singers (the high voice-parts probably taken originally by castrati) in the Eternal City, where opera – and performance by women – was banned by papal decree. Scarlatti is supremely well-served by Biondi’s cast on this new recording (Gens and Genaux are especially affecting in their slow arias) and Europa Galante is a crack ensemble of period instrument players who delight in the composer’s quirky rhythmic experimentation. Click <a href="asfunction:Tardis.webPageOpen,http://www.virginclassics.com"><b>here</b></a> to visit the official Virgin Classics website.]]></body>
