THE ORATIO LA GUIDITTA, by Alessandro Scarlatti, is playing in Houston:

'La Giuditta' to bow here
By CHARLES WARD
Copyright 2004 Houston Chronicle

Nothing like a beheading to stoke creative fires. The exploits of the ancient Jewish character Judith so fascinated Italian Baroque composer Alessandro Scarlatti that he turned them into an oratorio twice.

The tale is simple: A widow gets fed up with the Assyrian army besieging her city. She dolls herself up, sneaks into the opponent's camp, seduces the commander -- and chops his head off.

The story comes from the Book of Judith, part of the Apocrypha of the Roman Catholic Bible. Though its author probably invented many details, he left librettists plenty of ammunition.

According to The Oxford Companion to the Bible, the heroine is "a shameless flatterer," "a bold-faced liar" and "a ruthless assassin."

Ars Lyrica Houston performs the second Scarlatti version to close out the debut season of its St. Cecilia Concert Series at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church. It's the second Scarlatti oratorio Ars Lyrica has presented.

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