For the twenty-first anniversary of the commercial release of mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson’s Handel Arias, Avie Records has doubled down with this deluxe remastered re-release of the iconic recording originally released in 2004. At the time of its first release, critics noted the vocalist’s emotionally intense and dramatically committed performances coupled with her powerful and expressive voice. Writers considered the recording to be among the best collections of Handel arias available.
The selection of arias was narrow, limited to Irene’s arias from Theodora—plus the composer’s solo cantata La Lucrezia, and the evergreen aria “Ombra Mai Fu” from Serse (along with the aria ““Se bramate d’amar, chi vi sdegna” and recit. “Frondi tenere e belle…”). The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, under the direction of Harry Bicket provided support for the opera selections presented, while La Lucrezia was performed using Bicket playing harpsichord and chamber organ, Stephen Stubbs playing the 10-course lute and baroque guitar, Phoebe Carrai playing cello and Margriet Tindemans, viola da gamba. Period instruments and historically informed performance practices enhanced the recital’s bona fides established by Hunt Lieberson’s her inventive and tasteful use of embellishments and ornaments that were both personal and stylistically appropriate to the Baroque period.
One can easily describe Hunt Leiberson’s performances as searing and emotionally penetrating, particularly in performing the violated Lucrezia. This CD remaster and the new digital Dolby Atmos release reveal the intensity of Hunt Lieberson’s performances in greater detail than the original release. This is music presented so spaciously the listener can walk among its elements. Musical performances like this are not to be missed.