Cavalieri's "Rappresentatione di anima et di corpo"

Here is a fascinating work that has been well-reviewed since it was released: Emilio de Cavalieri's  Rappresentatione di anima et di corpo, with the Concerto Vocale & Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, conducted by René Jacobs. From the year 1600, it is sometimes considered the first opera, or the first oratorio. For certain, it is an allegorical dialogue of the soul and the body; as the summary linked below indicates, the piece is comprised with "a succession of vignettes among personified characters like Body, Soul, Intellect, and Counsel who confront such metaphysical realities as Pleasure and The World in their quest to determine the true nature and goal of human life."

Here is the performance on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMFhvqPMf0Y Here is a good summary of the piece, with a link to the same video: http://mcgautreau.com/notes/early/big_three/cavalieri.php