This arguably is the best Handel aria recording ever made by a soprano, and that's acknowledging the fine efforts of singers such as Emma Kirkby and Renée Fleming, whose traversals of similar territory simply pale by comparison to the scintillating, virtuoso vocalism of Sandrine Piau. Beginning with the first of these 12 more-or-less rarely performed opera arias, Piau shows the difference between mortal accomplishment and super-human dominion over Handel's magnificent creations. The runs sparkle, the leaps land with pinpoint accuracy on every note, and the phrasing is executed with fiery dynamic impact, clear enunciation, and a forward drive that pulls us dancing along to a satisfying conclusion that we can only presume the composer would have relished. If you've heard Fleming's very solid, tonally full-bodied rendition of this "Scoglio d'immota fronte" (slower than Piau by nearly a half-minute), you're certainly impressed by her command of the music and its dramatic aspects, but next to Piau, her perfectly respectable performance is earthbound, abetted by a weighty orchestral accompaniment.

For Piau, Christope Rousset's Les Talens Lyriques is a spry, nimble, and very responsive orchestra that bends and breathes and bobs and weaves according to the soloist's every expressive utterance. And it's not only the fast and flashy singing that impresses--although there's enough of that here to satisfy everyone's appreciation for "show-off" material!; Piau also manages to convince us that she's a consummate interpreter by rendering the slower, more sensuous arias with equal aplomb and well-wrought characterization. The sound is ideal--and the orchestra's playing is every bit as exciting and vibrant as Piau's singing. Lovers of Handel opera must not miss these extraordinary, "disc of the year"-quality performances. C'est magnifique! [2/8/2005]

--David Vernier