Navona Records Releases Alessandro Stradella's Oratorio ESTER LIBERATRICE DEL POPOLO EBREO

Navona Records' newest release, ESTER LIBERATRICE DEL POPOLO EBREO, is now released.

The recording is streaming on all major platforms. The hard copy CD may be purchased on bandcamp at https://salonsanctuary.bandcamp.com/album/ester-liberatrice-del-popolo-ebreo

Alessandro Stradella's unjustly neglected oratorio examines themes of courage, self-acceptance, ambition, justice, and power through the story of Esther, a timid girl and secret Jew who becomes Persian Queen and bravely saves her people from annihilation. Derived from the Old Testament's Book of Esther, this story of a lone woman challenging an oppressive tyrant is sure to resonate with modern listeners of many faiths, as it recalls manifold struggles of our own time. This recording is also the first Stradella work of any kind to be recorded in DOLBY ATMOS.

Soprano Jessica Gould (Ester), embraces repertoire from the Renaissance to Brahms, Wagner, to composers of our own time. Her appearances include Carnegie Hall, the Guggenheim Museum, the American Philosophical Society, the Sorbonne, Palazzo Grimani, and the Accademia Cristofori, among others. As an award-winning writer and film director, she has received over ninety international laurels for her maiden film, "Babylon: Ghetto, Renaissance, and Modern Oblivion."

Baritone and Arezzo native Gabriele Lombardi (Aman) enjoys collaborations with some of the most preeminent early music ensembles of our time, such as Concerto Italiano, La Venexiana, and Il Complesso Barocco. Salvo Vitale (Assuero) is much admired for his deep bass voice and wide range, and has performed many of the major Monteverdi roles at much of the world's leading opera houses including La Scala, Milan, the Paris Opéra, the Opéra Comique.

Sonia Tedla (Speranza Celeste) frequently collaborates with such maestros as Rinaldo Alessandrini and Fabio Bonizzoni. International performances include Wigmore Hall, Lincoln Center's White Light Festival, and Teatro alla Scala. Her discography includes projects for Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, Naïve, Arcana, Dynamic, and others.

José Lemos' appearances include Tanglewood, Zürich Opernhaus, Teatro Colón, Göttingen Handel Festival, Vlaamse Opera Ghent, Opera de Nice, Teatro Real, Théatré de Champs Elysée, BEMF, Auditorio Nacional de Madrid, Concertgebow in Amsterdam, and Les Arts Florissants.

Salvo Vitale (Assuero) has performed leading baroque roles, at La Scala, Milan, the Paris Opéra, the Opéra Comique, the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, the Opéra de Dijon, the Prague Estates Theatre, the Palau de la Música in Barcelona, the Teatro Regio in Turin, the Theater an der Wien, the Opéra Royal de Versailles, the Opéra Royal de Wallonie in Liège and the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, at New York's Carnegie Hall and the Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall, among others.

The hybrid Italian and American cast is led by GRAMMY-nominated harpsichordist and international opera conductor Jory Vinikour. Familiar at opera houses throughout the world, he has appeared extensively at l'Opéra de Paris, The Metropolitan Opera, Chicago Lyric Opera, Opernhaus Zürich, Salzburger Festspiele, Netherlands Opera, Teatro Colon, Staatsoper Berlin, etc.

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