Continuing our series on Alessandro Scarlatti, Donald Macleod focuses on the composer's first period in Naples, where he influenced the course of Neapolitan Opera.

As opera became less popular in Rome due to Papal decree, Alessandro Scarlatti soon moved to Naples to pursue his career for the stage. Donald Macleod surveys this period in Naples, where Scarlatti composed around 70 operas. We'll hear Le violette from Pirro e Demetrio, which had an international success.

Although Scarlatti greatly influenced the course of opera in Naples, he still relied upon other work to survive, including his appointment as the Maestro of the Royal Chapel. He composed over sixty cantatas during this period, frequently for the entertainment of Cardinals Ottoboni and Pamphili in Rome. We'll hear the cantata Gia lusingato appieno, linked in narrative to James II of England. Show less