What image is more powerful than the Great Flood for a composer from a city ravaged by earthquakes and tidal waves? In 1682, this was the theme that inspired Messina resident Michelangelo Falvetti to write his oratorio Il Diluvio Universale. The subject is splendidly suited to dramatic treatment, and librettist Vincenzo Giattini and Falvetti take full advantage of this throughout the piece. Leonardo García Alarcón is regarded as one of the key artists of the new generation of conductors specializing in Baroque music. In 2005 he founded Cappella Mediterranea, which he directs here.