Esther, Ahasuerus, and Haman. 1668. Artist: Jan Steen

Commissioned by the Jewish Community of Amsterdam and composed in 1774, Cristiano Giuseppe Lidarti’s oratorio tells the biblical story of how Queen Esther rescued the Jews of Persia from King Ahasuerus (Xerxes) and his scheming advisor, Haman. Scored for orchestra, soloists, and chamber choir, and sung entirely in Hebrew, Lidarti’s captivating writing brings the story of Esther alive. Lovers of baroque music may recognize the libretto from Handel’s 1718 Esther - the text for Lidarti’s oratorio is a direct translation into Hebrew completed by one of Lidarti’s contemporaries, Venetian Rabbi Jacob Raphael ben Simhah Judah Saraval.