Verdi Oberto

This is a wonderful studio recording of one of Handel's most accomplished opera's. Unlike Christie's live recording where the voices seem too remote this production has excellent balance and faultless sound. Arleen Auger is magnificent. She is involved and passionate and has a voice of both power and beauty. Indeed, the whole cast is second to none. Where this set surpasses Christie is the warmth and immediacy of the performance.
By KC "KC London" (London, England)

The box-set traces the history of Archiv from 1947, when the first recordings were made (Helmut Walcha playing Bach organ works), to a bonus CD featuring selections from the new 2013 albums mentioned above. A complete overview is appended. In between comes a sequence of albums several of which are new to CD from the great names of the label, from Walcha, Wenzinger and Safford Cape, through Karl Richter, Nikolas Harnoncourt and Sir Charles Mackerras…

Alan Curtis' stellar recording of Alcina, which joins a respectable number of very fine recordings of the opera, is remarkable for the supple liveliness of his conducting and the outstanding performances of the soloists. The elasticity of his performance, leading Il Complesso Barocco, should dispel any misconceptions about Baroque music being rigid and metronomic. The nuanced care with which he brings out the emotional depth of Handel's writing is evident from the first measures of the overture and enlivens the entire opera.

It would be hard to devise a septet of soloists more stylish than those on the reissued EMI set, with Arleen Auger brilliant and warm-toned…Della Jones stands out in the breeches role of Ruggiero and Eiddwen Harrhy as Morgana is no less brilliant…Hickox underlines the contrasts of mood and speed, conveying the full range of emotion.

The Penguin Guide

Handel's operas–the center of his creative life before oratorios became the focus–have spent far too long in limbo awaiting rediscovery, which slowly started happening in the late '60s with works such as Giulio Cesare. But whether Handelian opera is still a novelty or you're already a rabid convert, this emotionally resonant, crisply played, superbly cast interpretation under William Christie and Les Arts Florissants is likely to shake up some of your ideas about the composer.