The Early Music Show - Alessandro Scarlatti: The Sicilian Godfather of the Oratorio

Alessandro Scarlatti: The Sicilian Godfather of the Oratorio Lucie Skeaping looks at the life of the Sicilian born composer, and some of the music he composed for oratorios during the early part of the 18th century. The Vatican had placed a ban on opera and theatrical productions which lasted nearly 30 years, but Scarlatti found ways around that inconvenience and wrote some of the most influential stage works during this time. Music includes excerpts from Ishmael, Maddalena, Il Giardino di Amore and Cain, ovvero Il Primo Omidicio. Simon Lole presents a feature about Scarlatti's younger brother Francesco, whose life took a much less successful path.