Handel's finest arias for base voiceHyperion *****

This disc is a delight from start to finish. Christopher Purves sings this selection of bass arias from Handel's oratorios and operas as if they had been created just for him to exploit, with their violent extremes of mental and emotional states, and sometimes almost implausible shifts in vocal register. It's as if a singer ought to be able to reach effortlessly from any height down to the most profound depths. Just sample the extraordinary excursions of the seven slow minutes of Fra l'ombre e gl'orrori (from the serenata Aci, Galatea e Polifemo) and you'll see what I mean. Conductor Jonathan Cohen provides hand-in-glove partnership. url.ie/4qdb