Italian Cantatas Vol 7 Roberta Invernizzi (soprano), Thomas E Bauer (bass), Furio Zanani (bass), La Risonanza/ Fabio Bonizzoni (harpsichord) Glossa GCD 921527 ****

Handel's Italian cantatas are the work of a young composer, a man in his early 20s who was stretching himself, with sometimes eager athleticism, to explore the boundaries of his musical abilities. The three cantatas recorded here ( Apollo e Dafne, Agrippina condotta a morire and Cuopre talvolta il cielo) are dramatically conceived, vocally testing pieces, clearly written with exceptional singers in mind.

These are pieces that sometimes take you by the scruff of the neck and subject you to a white-knuckle ride. The singers are fully up to the challenges, the hard-worked soprano Roberta Invernizzi relishing the moments of reflection as well as the brilliance, and bass Thomas E Bauer takes the flurries and leaps of Apollo e Dafnein his stride. The instrumentalists of La Risonanza are a delight to match.

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