The triumph of Time and Enlightenment, HWV46a - Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno

Il trionfo del Tempo e del Disinganno is a landmark in baroque music. It is Handel’s first oratorio, product of his astonishing flowering in Italy in his early twenties, suffused with the youthful vigour and virtuosity of his early works. The libretto, by the well-connected Benedetto Pamphili, is a highly crafted composition drawing on a rich mix of artistic forebears. It is both moral-religious allegory dramatized in music, and a pattern book of human psychology. This is the second disc for Hyperion from Academia Montis Regalis, who drew great acclaim for their recording of Stradella’s San Giovanni Battista.

DAILY TELEGRAPH CLASSICAL CD OF THE WEEK

'Handel's first oratorio … is also his most exquisite. "The Triumph of Time and Dis-Illusion" … bursts with youthful vitality and virtuosity as it blends a moral-religious allegory with some astute early psychology … Alessandro De Marchi energises his Academia Montis Regalis and some fine soloists into the perfect blend of Baroque dynamism and ethereal beauty' (Observer)

'Handel's invention is consistently glorious … With her pure, pellucid timbre and acute response to the text, Roberta Invernizzi eloquently limns Beauty's journey from blithe, carpe diem heedlessness to the grave simplicity of her final prayer' (Daily Telegraph)

'Handel's exuberant first oratorio … its animated, thrilling score brings a delightful humanity to all the philosophical pondering … Accomplished, responsive playing and the tempo is always smart. Elsewhere, Roberta Invernizzi's luscious-voiced Bellezza is the undisputed star, impressive in her many fiendish arias' (The Times)

'A wonderfully inventive and exuberant work … Invernizzi's alluring voice is fluent in challenging virtuosity but sweetly pentitent as she rejects Aldrich's somewhat assertive 'Pleasure' … A high point is a quartet combining highly differentiated characters with almost Mozartean skill. Ornamentation and improvisation is highly stylish throughout, and orchestral support polished … Altogether thoroughly enjoyable' (BBC Music Magazine)

'The playing of Academia Montis Regalis under Alessandro de Marchi's assured direction is stylish, spirited and affecting … The continuo group is more modest, and more satisfying, than that employed by Emmanuelle Haim … the recording is spacious yet with pleasing immediacy of impact' (International Record Review)

'Singing of great beauty and conviction by Roberta Invernizzi … The playing of Academia Montis Regalis is equally responsive, its impassioned approach balanced and supported by their lively nuances and constant attention to the detailed shaping of every phrase … A performance that powerfully communicates the sensuous beauty, rich expressivity and dramatic inventiveness of Handel's early masterpiece' (Goldberg)

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Recording details: June 2007; Oratorio Santa Croce, Mondovi, Italy; Produced by Adrian Peacock; Engineered by David Hinitt; Release date: May 2008;