‘Venice Baroque Orchestra’

Juditha Triumphans was composed by Antonio Vivaldi to celebrate the victory of the Republic of Venice over the Turks in Corfu. The allegorical adaptation of the bible story is fairly obvious: the oratorio magnifies the success pulled off by the Hebrews at the expense of the Assyrians thanks to Judith, who decapitated the general Holopherne who was charged with enslaving them. In order to embody a heroine as carnal as Judith, it needed someone with an unfailing stage presence and musical sensitivity to interpret it. There is no doubt that the Czech mezzo Magdalena Kožená, who is also a supreme Baroque specialist, brings together all these qualities. Under the direction of Andrea Marcon, the Venice Baroque Orchestra highlights the sumptuous beauty of the famous Venetian’s composition.