The Harrowing of Hell, a Paschal Oratorio

The Harrowing of Hell is an event defined in early Christian doctrine, which states that between his death on Good Friday and his triumphant resurrection at Easter, Christ descended to Hell to claim the souls languishing in Satan\u27s thralldom by dint of Original Sin, having ransomed them by his passion and death. This oratorio is a treatment of that ancient story using the vibrant colors of early instrumental sound and drawing on a variety of forms and archetypes, most importantly those of the extant operas of Claudio Monteverdi (1567-1643) and the Easter Vigil of the Roman Catholic Church