Waisman’s research reveals that the oratorio was performed in 1784 by the girls’ choir of the Ospedaletto, one of the two conservatoires in Venice, on the Feast of the Assumption (15th August).

That explains why the six main characters as well as the large choruses which open the oratorio and conclude each of its two acts are scored for female voices. Moreover, Waisman’s research demonstrates that the oratorio, like various of Martín y Soler’s operas, makes use of several pieces - specifically, the overture and arias - that the composer had already used in previous works and would use again in the future, as, for example, in Il burbero di buon cuore.

The restoration of Philistaei a Jonatha dispersa echoes the work carried out in recent years by the Instituto Valenciano de Música to commemorate the 200th anniversary of Martín y Soler’s death. To this end, the IVM has worked in conjunction with the Instituto Complutense de Ciencias Musicales to restore the operas that Martín y Soler composed to libretti by Lorenzo Da Ponte, who was also Mozart’s librettist.

Another of the IVM’s ongoing initiatives relating to the composer is a programme of financial support for recording projects. This year, it has awarded grants to three discs featuring works by Martín y Soler, performed by the World Youth Orchestra, the ensemble Capella de Ministrers and the Real Compañía de Ópera de Cámara.