Antonio Caldara (1670‐1736) was an Italian Baroque composer. Born in Venice he was a chorister in the famous San Marco, where Legrenzi was his teacher. He soon spread his wings across Europe and held several important posts in Mantua, the Spanish court in Barcelona, Rome and eventually the post of Kapellmeister at the Imperial Court in Vienna.

Caldara left a substantial oeuvre, consisting of instrumental music in the tradition of Corelli, sacred music and operas.

This new recording presents several sacred choral works of great beauty and intensity. Caldara’s innate feeling for drama is reflected in the highly expressive vocal lines, as expected from a composer famous for his operas and oratorios.

Ensemble La Silva was established in 1984 by Nanneke Schaap, it consists of Dutch and Italian musicians well schooled in the Historically Informed Performance Practice.

The booklet contains scholarly written liner notes by a musicologist, as well as the sung texts and their English translation.