Alessandro Scarlatti was only 24 and had just begun his enormously successful operatic career when he set a libretto by that great Roman patron of the arts, Cardinal Pamphili, on the subject of repentance and divine grace. It was performed before a distinguished audience by a small group of leading singers and instrumentalists of the day in March 1685—the year of the birth of Alessandro's son Domenico (in fact, as a matter of interest, three days before the birth of J. S. Bach). This simple little morality (oratorio is too grandiose a term for it) shows Magdalen torn between youthful pleasures and repentance for hedonistic living: the subject is treated in a sequence of extremely brief arias (and a few duets) and recitatives, which add up to a rather bitty effect, all the more because of seemingly haphazard key-sequences. There is little evidence of the da capo aria form later to be so closely associated with Scarlatti: there are, however, several examples (as in the very first aria) of 'devise' openings. Fabio Biondi, whose small instrumental group's alert playing is one of the particular pleasures of this disc, has (not unreasonably) interpolated a few sinfonias by Corelli and other contemporaries at crucial points—for overture, fine expressive music by Pasquini, and as closing music an extract from an opera by the younger Ziani (which, incidentally, is not listed in the Grove Dictionary of Opera). If overall the work is not especially memorable, among its highlights are a graceful siciliano aria ''Sento a l'alma'' with affecting string interludes, a curious aria, ''Risolvo di piu non vedere'', with constant alternations of mood and speed, the cheerful aria ''Godo, ma come?'' and a hushed string sinfonia depicting the movement of the heavenly spheres.
Silvia Piccollo as the central character has a bright voice somewhat lacking in support, resulting in some insecurity on higher notes; Gloria Banditelli, well known from other recordings, is rich-toned as Penitence, but here and there could have invested the words with greater meaning—she seems closer to the mike than the others (placing in general, in fact, is a little variable); chief vocal honours go to Rossana Bertini as Youth, for her fresh, pleasing tone and pure intonation—she is a definite acquisition to the recording catalogue. At times the printed text gets a trifle muddled as to who is singing, but the action (if that is not too strong a term) is easy enough to follow, and the whole makes for agreeable listening, even if it is not the masterpiece the booklet would like us to think it.'