Based on the Bärenreiter vocal scores, these three volumes contain some of Handel’s best-known arias for mezzo-soprano/contralto, tenor and bass, together with some less well-known numbers of equally high musical quality . The arias in these volumes contain works from Handel’s thirty-year period as an opera composer in London and give an impression of the variety of this extensive repertoire. The arias display various distinctive technical features and are mostly presented with the preceding recitative or, in a few cases, in the context of an entire scene. The arias appear in the chronological order of the operas. The forewords by Donald Burrows contain detailed notes on Handel’s singers and on the context of the arias of the operas.
Recitatives and arias (for mezzo-soprano/contralto, female roles and breeches roles) from: Amadigi, Ariodante, Ezio, Flavio, Giulio Cesare in Egitto, Lotario, Orlando, Radamisto, Rinaldo, Rodelinda, Serse (Xerxes), Tamerlano