HANDEL: ARIAS. Kathleen Battle, soprano; Academy of...

HANDEL: ARIAS. Kathleen Battle, soprano; Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields conducted by Sir Neville Marriner. Angel CDC 49179. One wonders why it took this blissfully sung collection, recorded in part in 1987, so long to reach publication. Battle deploys her silvery soprano on scenes and arias from “Acis and Galatea,” “Giulio Cesare,” “Joshua,” “L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato,” “Messiah,” “Solomon” and “Alcina” with taste and stylistic enlightenment. The best results are achieved in excerpts demanding specific emotional responses--Cleopatra’s lament, or the lengthy “Sweet Bird” from “Il Penseroso,” where Battle’s melting vocalism and Marriner’s suave accompaniments yield memorable results.