Cara speme questo core

Before the release of this disc called Ah! Mio cor!, charismatic and amazingly distinctive 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; the only cohesion supplied by the performer. Clear, smooth, and warm, Kozená's voice is a touch light in tone but with plenty of power behind it and more than enough control to guide it through wonderfully!