Handel was in his twenties when he traveled throughout Italy, producing some of the Baroque era’s most exciting, colorful music for his patrons. These cantatas—effectively mini-operas with one or two characters and performed in aristocratic homes—were only recently rediscovered, having remained unpublished for 300 years. They’re vintage Handel: Aminta e Fillide, telling of a shepherd’s love for a shepherdess, features some of his most skillful vocal writing, deftly and gracefully performed by Sabine Devieilhe and Lea Desandre. The star attraction, Armida abbandonata, explores the gamut of Handel’s genius and deserves a place among his greatest operas. Le Concert d’Astrée are in blistering form.
- Philippe Jaroussky & Freiburger Barockorchester
- Les Arts Florissants & William Christie
- Patricia Petibon, Royal Academy Consort, Amarillis, Marc Minkowski, Maria Bayo, Rinaldo Alessandrini, Christophe Rousset, Laurence Equilbey & Accentus
- Joyce DiDonato, Franco Fagioli, Elsa Benoit, Luca Pisaroni, Jakub Józef Orliński, Il Pomo d'Oro, Maxim Emelyanychev, Andrea Mastroni, Carlo Vistoli, Biagio Pizzuti & Marie Nicole Lemieux
- Sandrine Piau & Accademia Bizantina
- Joyce DiDonato, Il Complesso Barocco & Alan Curtis
- Eva Zaïcik & Le Consort