Noah’s flood has inspired many composers over the centuries. One such work, lost for three centuries, has been revived in a recording from 2011 for Harmonia Mundi.
Michelangelo Falvetti lived from 1642 until 1692. He was appointed maestro di cappella of the cathedral in Messina in 1682, the same year that his composition Il diluvio universal was first performed. Described by its composer as a “dialogue for five voices and five instruments,” the Prologue features the voices of Divine Justice and the four elements – earth air, fire and water – and the dialogue proper calls for five characters – Noah, his wife, God, Death and Human Nature, and a chorus, often in five parts, that plays a leading role.
These performers, directed by the young Argentinian conductor Leonardo Garcia Alarcón, are the Cappella Mediterranea and the Namur Chamber Choir.
