A number of Vivaldi’s most iconic compositions are known under an epithet today. For example, the virtuoso concerto ‘il Grosso Mogul’ – named after Akbár, the legendary 16th century emperor of the Indian Mogul Empire. Yet Vivaldi was able to turn his hand to more: as an opera composer he wrote an impressive and high-quality oeuvre, of which ‘Teuzzone’ – likewise evocative of the Orient – is a striking example. Whereas Vivaldi sets up a narrative around the Chinese emperor, Rameau paints a Persian scene in ‘Zoroastre’. This opera also exudes a longing for the exotic that is very characteristic of high Baroque. A somewhat different interpretation is found in Telemann. The master from Hamburg found enough inspiration close to home to turn his ‘Völker-Overture’ into a colourful musical series of portraits, in which roaring Portuguese and dancing Turks populate the scene.