J.A. Hasse
's
Serpentes ignei in deserto
("
Fiery Snakes in the Desert
" -- even worse than Snakes on a Plane, but the music is better) is called an oratorio, and indeed it is a semi-dramatic vocal work on a biblical subject, namely God loosing snakes on the Israelites because they questioned the leadership of Moses. But "oratorio" does not quite convey the flavor of the music here. There is no chorus; instead there are six solo voices. As with much of
Vivaldi
's sacred music,
Hasse
was writing in the mid-1730s for the singers at a Venetian "Ospedale," often referred to as an orphanage but more likely a place to live for illegitimate daughters of the aristocracy. So the original work was for female singers. But a bit of flexibility is not uncalled-for here. This was music to attract those in search of a brilliant vocal good time, not the pious, and countertenors, who sing most of the parts here, provide the right feeling. The six characters -- Moses (
Philippe Jaroussky
), Nathaniel (
Jakub Józef Orli¿ski
), Eleazar (
Carlo Vistoli
), Joshua (the male soprano, as opposed to countertenor,
Bruno de Sà
), Eliab (
David Hansen
), and an angel (the sole female singer,
Julia Lezhneva
) -- are sharply characterized and differentiated. There isn't a weak spot in the lineup, but
Lezhneva
is absolutely in top form here; sample her aria "Aura beata, plaude jucunda" from the second part. It's an absolute vocal feast, and conductor
Thibault Noally
, leading the ensemble
Les Accents
, knows enough to keep the instrumental contributions circumspect. A splendid vocal extravaganza that made classical best-seller charts in late 2024, and a must for listeners wanting to check out the state of the countertenor art. ~ James Manheim