Above Suspicion 2019

John Eliot Gardiner has done much over the years to set the music of Handel where it truly belongs in public opinion by the professionalism he has brought to live performances and to recordings. When his reading of Hercules appeared four years ago it was warmly received for its fine choral and solo singing and skilful playing on period instruments and, at the same time, taken to task for the extensive cuts made and Gardiner's tendency to overinterpret, particularly in the choruses. None of this has changed, nor could it have (unless the missing sections of recitative and aria had been recorded in the first place, cut and then reinstated, and the remarks of reviewers taken to heart) in the transfer to CD. The novel immediacy of the CD medium still thrills the listener: the crisp articulation Gardiner elicits from players and singers alike is particularly well served. Happily, Handel is the ultimate beneficiary. His music sounds better than ever on CD.