Arietta

Handel's 1738 opera Serse (Xerxes) baffled audiences at first hearing with its mixture of tragedy and comedy, but that same mixture has resulted in the opera's steadily rising status in performance today. If you're maxed out on athletic opera seria performances, check it out: it has elements of a put-on of that genre. The plot is kicked off by Serse, the king of ancient Persia, praising a shade tree in the famous aria "Ombra mai fu," whose tune is also known as Handel. The role of Serse is written for a male countertenor (originally the castrato Caffarelli), who has to keep a level of seriousness as his character becomes involved in increasingly improbably romantic triangles.

We’re lucky enough to be having rather a clutch of important Handel recordings emerge at the moment. This latest is the first recording to use the version of Tamerlano performed at its premiere. And George Patras’s Greek forces do the opera proud. In a real ensemble achievement, Nicholas Spanos is outstanding in the title-role, surmounting the vocal hurdles with ease.

- Gramophone

A new disc from Anne Sofie von Otter always arouses eager expectation, whatever the repertoire. None of the composers featured on this recording of Lieder and Mélodies is regarded primarily for his songwriting prowess, yet von Otter conjures winner after winner. Even at their lightest, these pieces never fail to charm, and some of them do a good deal more than that. As one would expect from such an experienced lieder artist, the program is beautifully constructed, with songs carefully placed for maximal variety, not just of tone but also of instrumentation (excellent playing from clarinetist Eric Hoeprich and violinist Nils-Erik Sparf). This is another winner from von Otter and friends.

Carl Seemann's Complete Deutsche Grammophon Recordings box set features recordings with Fritz Lehmann, Berliner Philharmoniker, NDR Sinfonieorchester, Hans Schmidt-Isserstedt, Bamberger Symphoniker, Mnchner Philharmoniker, Ferdinand Leitner and many more. Highlights include his celebrated Mozart records on 11 CDs and his famous Beethoven and Brahms duo recordings with violinist Wolfgang Schneider.