`Aria: . . . the word undoubtedly comes from the Air, not only because the vehicle of all sound is to be found there, but also because a lovely melody cannot be compared with anything more pleasant than a sweet, fresh movement of the air . . . " The author of this 18th century German definition had clearly never heard a soprano screeching Puccini: but his sentiments find a close echo in this most refreshing recording of a set of nine songs, written as individual pieces between 1724 and 1727. This is Handel at his most reflective - no wedding-cake stuff and very little fireworks - with only the occasional sighing melody or the odd outburst of merriment to remind us that it wasn't penned by Bach. The soprano Dorothea Roschmann, a rising star on the baroque scene, is an ideal interpreter.
