One day we will run out of Baroque music worth rediscovering, I suppose, but for the moment there seems no reason to halt the digging, especially when a composer as talented and prolific as Alessandro Scarlatti remains so largely buried. La Santissima Trinità, one of his last oratorios, is thoroughly deserving of revival, des- pite its unpromising subject of five allegorical characters debating the existence of the Holy Trinity. Such high-flown dissertations were falling out of fashion by 1715, when the work was written, but Scarlatti was a past master at them, and in any case this particular oratorio has a notably lighter touch than, say, his Colpa, Pentimento e Grazia, recently issued by Harmonia Mundi (9/04). La Santissima Trinità presents a simpler, more dramatically vital show- down between Faithlessness – who, needless to say, does not believe in the Trinity – and Faith, Divine Love, Time and Theology, who do.

Scarlatti responds with music which is pacy, varied and engaging. The format is conventional – recitatives alternate with arias, duets and occasional larger ensembles – but no single number lasts significantly longer than four minutes and the action never dawdles. Nor is there any danger of monotony, since the orchestra of strings and continuo is used with great resource; one duet is gorgeously adorned with solo violin birdsong and a cello for a river, and later two cellos conjure gently billowing waves.

The vocal writing, for a full range of voice-types, sparkles like summer wine. If, as seems possible, Scarlatti was composing for an off-duty operatic cast, it clearly inspired him to suitably extrovert and dramatically vivid heights. Likewise joyously inspired is the performance under the dedicated direction of Fabio Biondi, a Scarlatti interpreter of experience and flair who drives the work forward with unerring momentum, energy and care. Leading from the violin, he summons orchestral playing of vibrancy and energy, and is blessed with top-class Baroque singers, strongly communicative and evidently believing in the music. It is hard to imagine this work being better performed or presented.

That is unfortunate, then, for Esteban Velardi and his Alessandro Stradella Consort. What would have been a perfectly serviceable and musically intelligent première recording has been swiftly relegated to second-best. There is nothing specifically wrong with it as such – it represents the work perfectly well – but in the end Velardi’s singers and players cannot match Biondi’s for quality, and what with the Bongiovanni recording spreadinguneconomically on to two discs instead of Virgin’s one, it is probably only to be preferred by those who find Biondi’s approach a little over the top.

In short, Biondi’s performance has that extra verve and panache that could help the work appeal to listeners beyond the ranks of Scarlatti enthusiasts. The latter, of course, will be delighted, but for anyone new to the composer there may well be no better work – or in the case of the Biondi, performance – to start.