Oratorio is a genre of composition sometimes left by the wayside beside the larger spectacle of opera. Alessandro Stradella was composing during the height of its popularity and La Susanna is considered something of a swan song for this flamboyant composer (as well as part of the sub-genre of ‘erotic oratorios’). Although based on the Bible, it’s the story of the woman who is constantly seduced and accused of adultery. There’s some stunning singing in this recording and it is a fantastic rendition of a great oratorio.