Bruno Beaufils - Balbastre: L'orgue des lumières (2010)

A rising operatic star, soprano Amanda Forsythe is a specialist in Baroque vocal music, and her lively performances of arias by George Frederick Handel on Avie's The Power of Love demonstrate her impressive skills. Backed by Jeannette Sorrell and the dynamic period instruments ensemble Apollo's Fire, Forsythe sings selections from Alcina, Almira, Ariodante, Giulio Cesare, Orlando, Partenope, Rinaldo, Serse, and Teseo, a mix of Handel's most famous and not-so-famous operas. Singing with the elaborate ornamentation and expressive depth that characterize Baroque opera, Forsythe is quite agile and varied in her tone, though her sparkling upper tessitura is her claim to fame, and her runs and trills are truly exciting to hear. Interspersed with the arias are a handful of dances from Handel's ballet suite, Terpsichore, which complement the vocal tracks and show the orchestra's sonorities to best advantage.