Album: Handel, La Resurrezione/Le Concert d'Astrée (Virgin Classics)

Written when Handel was the 23-year-old toast of Rome, La Resurrezione is a white-hot fusion of German and Italian effects and sonorities.

Emmanuelle Haïm and Le Concert d'Astrée cherish every detail of this scintillating score, from the plangent recorder, flute, violin and viola da gamba obbligati to the bold trumpet flourishes. Soloists Camilla Tilling, Sonia Prina, Toby Spence and Luca Pisaroni give spirited performances, while Kate Royal offers matchless pathos and elegance in Maddalena's "Ferma l'ali".