Classical review: Ann Hallenberg, Il Complesso Barocco, Alan Curtis; Hidden Handel (Naïve)

On Hidden Handel, Ann Hallenberg investigates rarely performed arias by Handel as substitutions or additions to existing works.

Some, like "La Crudele Lontananza" and "Vinto E l'amor da Sdegno e Gelosia", were written to accommodate a change of soprano, while "Vieni, O Caro, Che Senza i Tuo Core" was written to replace "La Crudele Lontananza" in Rinaldo when the singer's voice dropped to alto.

The majority of these performances are world premieres, Hallenberg deftly negotiating the vagaries of love and war and the whims of gods and sorcerers that furnish the narratives, including the especially poignant "Sa Perché Pena il Cor" and unusually pitched "Sento Prima le Procelle"

Download: Sento Prima le Procelle; Sa Perché Pena il Cor; La Crudele Lontananza