Before the release of this disc called Ah! Mio cor!, charismatic mezzo soprano Magdalena Kozená had already made her mark as a Handel singer with her recordings of the composer's Italian cantatas and opera Julius Caesar, but this triumphant 2007 collection of arias affirms her mastery of the German-English composer's music. Featuring selections from the composer's operas and oratorios, this disc is more of a smorgasbord than a balanced meal with one highly expressive and supremely virtuosic aria following another and the only cohesion supplied by the performer. Clear, smooth, and warm, Kozená's voice is light in tone but with plenty of power behind it and more than enough control to guide it. In these 11 arias, Kozená channels her voice into interpretations that fairly explode with passion, despair, bliss, and fury. Given alert and dramatic accompaniments by Andrea Marcon and the Venice Baroque Orchestra, Kozená delivers striking Handel performances that will attract her fans as well as interest mezzo fans who have not yet heard her. Archiv's digital sound is crisp and cool, with the focus entirely on the singer.
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