Marilyn Horne - Handel: Opera arias for mezzo soprano (2006)

Marilyn Horne's (b. 1934) reading of these belcanto Arias is simply astonishing.
Superb vocal technique and interpretative skills allow her to find the right way to render this music in all its glory.
The selected pieces present quite the entire range of feelings and moods Händel's colorful operatic music was able to express; Horne carefully and thoughtfully avoids every dangerous "romantic" temptation, at the same time perfectly rendering all the vividness and the stylized emotiveness virtually contained in this wonderful music. The result is a heartfelt, involving and illuminating belcanto lecture.
Claudio Scimone (b. 1934) and "I Solisti Veneti" master the idiom, perfectly and coherently supporting Horne in this outstanding performance.
The 1982 DDD sound is excellent, maybe not yet perfect. Anyway, it is clear and airy, which are very important features when rendering this kind of music.