Alessandro Stradella loved taking risks of an amorous nature. These put him in danger repeatedly. He was wounded several times, and they ultimately caused his premature death when he was murdered on 25 February 1682 in Genoa. This unsolved crime story inspired no fewer than six operas between 1837 and 2017, but it also cast a shadow over the Bolognese aristocrat's actual talent, who could soften just about any soul with his talent for melodies and his refined dramatic sensibility. He was not only renowned in the opera house, but also with his intimate chamber cantatas that often summarized the content of a whole life as captivating snapshots: Seneca's demise, the fall of commander Belisarius, Nero's delirious triumph in the face of Roman conflagration, and the Addio of Marcus Antonius may possibly have saved Stradella - if his murderers would have listened to his music.
