Sutherland and Baker reign in Handel!
Armindo | Greece | 01/07/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"After last Saturday's Rodelinda MET broadcast I had to rush to this recording to recover from David Daniel's and John Relyea's wobbles and above all Renee Fleming's aggressive singing (who now sounds a lot like Bartoli).
Sutherland and Baker are exemplary in the way they sing Handel music. They were both young when this performance took place and their gorgeous voices blend in beautifully! Countertenors normally sing the two alto parts nowadays but Margreta Elkins and Patricia Kern sound at home and sing with ease. The two male singers also do a fine job but nobody steals the spotlight from Sutherland and Baker.
The sound of this recording is better than I expected. I didn't go through the entire score but I'm pretty sure this performance is cut.
In any case, go for the much cheaper Opera d'oro release.
"