Philippe Jaroussky brings his musical and dramatic powers to a program of music from Italian oratorios of the Baroque era, including five arias in world premiere recordings, in La Vanità del Mondo. "I think composers of this period often give of their best when setting the great stories of the Old Testament," says the countertenor. "And if oratorio stories are more static than opera, they allow for deeper reflection on the place of mankind in the universe. I think that resonates with particular intensity in 2020, a year of pandemic."