Handel: Orlando (1991)

This is the best recording you can get for Orlando. Written during a time when Handel's finances were on the shaky side (he bankrupted himself several times staging his operas), the vocal scoring is for five solo voices and no choir. Sound a bit thin on the ground ? NOT A BIT! The five soloist are fantastic; Emma Kirkby's pure high voice is a perfect shepherdess; David Thomas is mesmerising as usual in the role of the magician Zoroaster; James Bowman is in top form in the title role (and I normally try to find alternative recordings to avoid him - his voice is normally too 'hooting' for my tastes; NOT HERE), and Arleen Auger is stunning as usual as Angelica. The least successful voice is Christine Robbin singing Medoro, but that simply means that she is very good! The pace is lively - there is no speed at which the orchestra can go and lose these people! So the rage scenes are stunning, the general dialogue is reasonably paced with sensitivity to the lyrics, and the poignant arias are beautifully rendered, particularly from Emma.