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L’Oracolo in Messenia, an opera written by Vivaldi for Vienna in 1740, was reconstructed by Fabio Biondi in 2011 in a triumphant open to the famous Resonanzen festival in Vienna, appropriately enough. Originally, the opera was intended to be performed in Vienna during Carnival in 1741, but due to the death of the Austrain Emperor and ultimately, himself, his plans fell through.
Vivaldi expert, Fabio Biondi, reconstructed the work using a recently discovered libretto in the Library of Congress, Vivaldi’s personal scores as well as those from his contemporaries. Bajazet and Ercole sul Termodonte, two other Vivaldi operas recorded for Virgin Classics, also follow the magnificent example Biondi set with L’Oracolo in Messenia.
This world-premiere recording of Vivaldi’s last Viennese opera is led by Biondi himself on the violin and comprises a high-powered cast of soprano Julia Lezhneva; mezzo sopranos Ann Hallenberg, Vivica Genaux, Romina Basso and Franziska Gottwald; counter tenor Xavier Sabata; and tenor Magnus Staveland. The performance was greeted with a standing ovation and it was said that “the festival could not have launched its 20th anniversary in more triumphant fashion.”
