Ojai Sam
Staff member
Ann Murray, et al., The King's Consort (Robert King, dir.) - Vivaldi: Juditha Triumphans (comp. 1716, rec. 1997)
A happy dividend of working through the 1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die is that I've gained a much greater appreciation for opera. This is actually an oratorio (i.e. a concert piece with actors talking and singing in character to tell a story), as opposed to opera (theater with actors talking and singing in character to tell a story accompanied by music). Do you understand the distinction? Good. Neither do I.
Wiki gives this plot summary:
The Assyrian king Nebuchadnezzar sends an army against Israel to demand overdue tributes. Under the leadership of the general Holofernes, the Assyrians lay siege to the town of Bethulia and are about to conquer it. The young Jewish widow Judith goes to him to implore mercy. He falls in love with her and she indulges him. After a rich banquet and having drunk much wine, Holofernes falls asleep. Judith beheads him, flees the enemy camp, and returns victorious to Bethulia.
I briefly dated a woman in college named Judith ("Don't call me Judy!") who had much the same temperament.
As if this story weren't interesting enough, Vivaldi added a lot of spectacular music with a variety of instrumentation, performed with gusto by The King's Consort. The two and a half hours of this performance flew by. If you have any interest in sampling opera, the accessibility and exuberance of Juditha Triumphans makes it a great place to start.
on the Sam-O-Meter. Tell them Judith sent you.
A happy dividend of working through the 1001 Classical Recordings You Must Hear Before You Die is that I've gained a much greater appreciation for opera. This is actually an oratorio (i.e. a concert piece with actors talking and singing in character to tell a story), as opposed to opera (theater with actors talking and singing in character to tell a story accompanied by music). Do you understand the distinction? Good. Neither do I.
Wiki gives this plot summary:
The Assyrian king Nebuchadnezzar sends an army against Israel to demand overdue tributes. Under the leadership of the general Holofernes, the Assyrians lay siege to the town of Bethulia and are about to conquer it. The young Jewish widow Judith goes to him to implore mercy. He falls in love with her and she indulges him. After a rich banquet and having drunk much wine, Holofernes falls asleep. Judith beheads him, flees the enemy camp, and returns victorious to Bethulia.
I briefly dated a woman in college named Judith ("Don't call me Judy!") who had much the same temperament.
As if this story weren't interesting enough, Vivaldi added a lot of spectacular music with a variety of instrumentation, performed with gusto by The King's Consort. The two and a half hours of this performance flew by. If you have any interest in sampling opera, the accessibility and exuberance of Juditha Triumphans makes it a great place to start.
on the Sam-O-Meter. Tell them Judith sent you. 
