Folger Consort journeys to Venice for the holidays with Vivaldi's beloved Gloria in D, RV589. Written around 1715, the piece was first performed by the all-female choir and orchestra of the Ospedale della Pietà, composed entirely of young women and directed by Vivaldi himself. Other seasonal music from the Italian High Baroque includes Alessandro Scarlatti's Christmas Cantata ("O di Betlemme altera, povertà venturosa") and Corelli's magnificent Christmas Concerto.