In autumn 1706, the young Handel left Hamburg for the Mecca of music in the early 18th century: Italy. He would travel around that country for three years, and his stay in bustling and inspiring cities such as Florence, Venice and Rome turned his visit into a very fruitful musical study tour.

In 1707, Handel arrived in Rome and immediately made a great impression with a series of Vespers, including Dixit Dominus and Laudate pueri Dominum. The youthful, colourful fierceness draw the listener into a spiral of violence as well as extremely beautiful stillness.