No matter what other varied projects countertenor Andreas Scholl has pursued, he remains at his considerable best when he sings the great Baroque opera arias, especially Handel. Happily, he's back singing what he was born to sing, and these arias, originally composed for the great 18th-century castrato known as Senesino, show why Scholl continues to set the standard for today's impressive cadre of young countertenors, using his voice as naturally and effortlessly as if, well, he were born to it.

If you've heard Scholl before--and if you truly love singing, you have--you may remember hearing him sing one of the arias on this recording, "Aure, deh, per pietà", on a previous disc from 1998, titled Heroes, with Roger Norrington and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Although that performance is significantly faster and the voice is noticeably brighter, when compared to Scholl's most recent effort, that rendition shows how consistent an artist Scholl is; although the timbre has changed ever so slightly, the technique and interpretive style are every bit as assured and facile. You can appreciate his performances not only for the overall beauty of his golden sound, but for the smallest details of articulation and phrasing that show uncommon interpretive skill and sensitivity to text and characterization. In other words, his performances are vocally lovely and impressive, but they're also distinctive and they make sense.

Although there are zillions of highlights here, the heart of the program--arias by Scarlatti ("Del ciel sui giri"), Lotti ("Fosti caro agl'occhi miei"), and Handel (the abovementioned "Aure, deh, per pietà" and "Al lampo dell'armi")--offers some of Scholl's most elegant, ardent singing among all of his recordings. The breath control, the cleanly-executed rapid leaps and runs, and of course, his heartbreakingly affecting "dolor" at the end of Handel's "Aure..." are all remarkable and worth many repeated hearings. Scholl is supported by an excellent orchestra, every bit as articulate and sensitive to the music's expressive demands as the singer, and the sound is first rate. Outstanding! [6/14/2006]

--David Vernier