Alessandro Scarlatti

Alessandro Scarlatti stands among the giants of the early Baroque, a bold innovator whose dramatic instincts helped shape the very foundations of opera as we know it. Born in Palermo and active across Naples and Rome, Scarlatti composed with a theatrical sensibility that fused emotional immediacy with elegant structure. Often called the father of Neapolitan opera, he penned more than sixty operas and a wealth of sacred and secular music, all steeped in the expressive riches of the Italian Baroque.

Scarlatti's sacred oratorio Il primo omicidio (1707)—The First Murder—is one of his most striking dramatic achievements. Telling the biblical tale of Cain and Abel, this intense, psychologically charged work explores not just the act of murder, but the inner unraveling of jealousy, guilt, and divine judgment. With astonishing modernity, Scarlatti delves into the emotional lives of his characters, pairing poetic libretti with finely wrought arias and vividly coloured instrumentation.

In Il primo omicidio, Scarlatti merges sacred storytelling with operatic flair, anticipating the emotional depth and musical drama that would define later composers. His Cain is no mere villain, but a conflicted, tormented soul—mirroring the human condition in all its fragility. For Scarlatti, the sacred was never static: it was alive, dangerous, and utterly theatrical.

Though overshadowed in later centuries by his more famous son, Domenico, Alessandro’s influence on the Baroque stage—and on generations of composers who followed—remains profound. At Pinchgut Opera, where history breathes anew, his music finds its voice once more.

Australian harpsichordist and musicologist Rosalind Halton has been pivotal in our recent re-evaluation of Scarlatti’s works.