Renee Fleming - Handel (2004)

Renée Fleming is widely hailed as one of the world's leading sopranos--and for good reason. The charismatic singer has captivated audiences worldwide with a voice of stunning beauty and a radiant stage presence. She's a true diva in the best sense of the word, acclaimed for her brilliance in the works of Strauss and Mozart, as well as the bel canto repertoire. A recital disc of Handel arias may seem a departure, but the singer's training was grounded in the great composer's canon, and she enjoyed great success in the title role of a 1999 production of 'Alcina.'

The program offers both well-known and rarely heard works spanning 40 years of Handel's career, from the da capo arias of the early Italian operas, through to the later English-language oratorios. Fleming's accounts offer a richness of tone and vocal warmth not generally associated with Baroque opera, but well suited to such sumptuous music. The elaborate ornamentation and virtuosic leaps and runs present in many of the arias allow Fleming to demonstrate her remarkable technique, notably on "Let the bright Seraphim" and "Da tempeste il legno infranto." The expertise of Harry Bicket and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightment in this repertoire manifests itself through deeply informed accounts of the scores, and proves to be an essential component of this outstanding disc.