David is a great find - an exceptionally inventive dramatic oratorio, its action carried vigorously along in powerful and highly original recitative. Jonathan (sung by Birgit Christensen) begs Saul to accept David in an aria brimming with musical ideas... Christensen... has a most alluring and versatile voice, equally at home in fast coloratura as in the purest of motionless sustained high notes in her highly-charged outburst pleading either for David's life or her martyrdom with him. Furio Zanasi as Saul is outstanding. He's powerfully characterised and vocally magnificent, thrilling but controlled in his ferocious anger... sound quality is excellent - spacious and with thoughtful placing of characters across the spectrum. Quite simply, a revelation.

The Florentine Francesco Bartolomeo Conti (1682-1732) was the finest theorbo player in early 18th-century Europe, and spent almost his entire career at the Habsburg court in Vienna. He composed sacred and secular vocal works special enough to warrant the attention of both Bach and Handel. Conti's oratorio David, a setting of a dramatic libretto by Apostolo Zeno, was first performed at Vienna in March 1724. The cast of singers included the tenor Francesco Borosini, soon afterwards a principal cast member for Handel in Tamerlano and Rodelinda (Conti's writing for Borosini descends to a low G, hence the decision here to cast baritone Furio Zanasi as Saul). Alan Curtis speculates that Borosini might have shown Conti's score to Handel because Conti's use of the theorbo to portray David playing the harp to soothe the insanely jealous Saul is neatly reflected in Handel's use of solo harp in his oratorio Saul (1738). Conti's difficult obbligato theorbo part in David's 'Quanto mirabile' is entrusted to the safe hands of Jakob Lindberg; the vocal part is sung by Marijana Mijanovic´, whose tuning and phrasing are better here than in her Handel recordings. Furio Zanasi's top register is stretched a notch too much for comfort at times but this never gets in the way of a convincing performance. Simone Kermes is beautifully emotive as Micol, Birgit Christensen's sparkling soprano is impressive, and Sonia Prina sings with exemplary sense of proportion and melodic line.
Curtis has edited the score himself, and writes an illuminating essay. This labour of love reveals that Conti's arias are strikingly apposite to the dramatic situations and invested with sincere musical depth and richness. This is essential for lovers of Italianate Baroque vocal music.

Conti’s David is the CD rediscovery of the year.