Maddalena ai piedi di Cristo was probably composed for Caldara’s native Venice in about 1697 98, perhaps for the Oratorian order at Santa Maria della Fava. Lodovico Forni’s libretto concerns Mary Magdalene’s choice between profane carnal pleasure or becoming a sacred disciple of Christ; an animated rivalry for her soul takes place between Earthly Love and Heavenly Love, while the conflicted Maddalena receives wise counsel from Martha and is encouraged by Christ – whose divine words are scorned by a hypocritical Pharisee.

The oratorio’s musical variety and engaging narrative were proved amply by the Gramophone Award-winning account by René Jacobs and the Schola Cantorum Basiliensis but the time is ripe for another interpretation. The unfolding religious drama zips along thanks to Damien Guillon’s crystal-clear handling of Caldara’s concise arias. Emmanuelle de Negri’s eloquent Maddalena provides several potent doses of penitential weeping: ‘Pompe inutili’ is a spellbinding dialogue with cellist Julien Barre, and the string-laden slow laments ‘In lagrime stemprato’ and ‘Per il mar del pianto mio’ are sublime. Amor Terreno’s sleepily seductive ‘Dormi o cara’ is sung caressingly by Benedetta Mazzucato; her later tantrum ‘Orribili, terribili’ is thrillingly furious. Guillon’s Amor Celeste is solemnly authoritative, whether in the vivid bass-driven ‘Spera, consolati’ or in the gentleness of his duet with violinist Caroline Bayet in ‘Da quel strale, che stilla veleno’. Martha’s rapturous contemplation ‘Non sdegna il ciel le lacrime’ is sung gorgeously by Maïlys de Villoutreys. Riccardo Novaro’s Pharisee conveys bullying agitation, especially in the spikily disdainful ‘Chi drizzar di pianta adulta’, whereas Christ is sung by Reinoud Van Mechelen with radiant serenity.

The assorted string ritornellos framing many of the arias (often in five parts) are played with suppleness and astute shaping by Le Banquet Céleste, and the continuo support in recitatives and simpler arias pays close attention to the singers’ texts; melodramatic organ accompaniments in recitatives that present extrovertly pious statements are over-egged but otherwise Guillon’s shrewd direction produces a scintillating performance that offers fresh light on Caldara’s qualities.