Benedetto Marcello’s Cassandra was composed in 1727 to a poem by Antonio Conti written at Marcello’s request. Cassandra is a large-scale dramatic cantata for solo alto voice with unfigured basso continuo for the harpsichord. The cantata was not published in Marcello’s lifetime and describes the events of the last years of Trojan War, as told by the prophetess Cassandra. Unique in its formal design, the cantata blends arioso sections with recitatives and arias. The expressive vocal line conveys g...