Juditha Triumphans devicata Holofernis barbarie (to give it its full name) was composed by Vivaldi in 1716 for Ospedale della Pieta, the girls' orphanage in Venice where Vivaldi had been violin teacher since 1704. It was originally performed with an all-female cast and, we assume, orchestra. The libretto was by Giacomo Cassetti and was based on the apocryphal Book of Judith. As it was a biblical story, it is technically an oratorio.
Perhaps Juditha is not a story full of suspense and insights into the human condition in the way that Idomeneo was. It is in its own way a moving love story and very unusual, though, in the world of opera and oratorio in presenting a very powerful female hero.
Watch Fiona Campbell's Vaugus performance in Vivaldi's Juditha Triumphans:
