Handel arias / Franco Fagioli, Il Pomo d’Oro, Zelfira Valova
This is a counter-tenor who sings coloratura easily and with power in a high register that is hard to believe for a counter-tenor. He is at his best in works for castrato by Handel, Porpora, and others. This CD, released in 2018, contains 14 of Handel’s opera arias. The CD is full of highlights, such as the emotional expression in “Ombra Mai Fu (Serse)” and “Cara Sposa, Amante Cara (Rinaldo)” and the high register coloratura in “Crude Furie Degli Orrid (Serse)”. Also released in 2010 is “Canzone e Cantate” is a CD of music from the early Italian Baroque to Handel, performed by Luca Bianca, the master lutist of Il Giardino Armonico, and others. This is another CD I like.
