The Venetian Barbara Strozzi did not have to emancipate herself in order to be recognised as an artist and composer. And this, despite the fact that she – the illegitimate daughter of a maid and her lord – should, according to common estimation, have been happy to have amounted to "anything" at all. However, her father, himself a writer and full of wit in the true sense of the word, adopted her and ensured that she receive a proper education. The rest was all down to this exceptionally talented young girl herself. The worthy student of the famous Francesco Cavalli could even afford to publish her works under her own name. She was a fixture in the cultural life of her city, which obviously took great pleasure in the extraordinarily emotional worlds of this intimate music. Listen and enjoy!