This premiere recording of Handel’s Parnasso in Festa will be welcomed by Handel fans. The work takes the form of a celebratory serenata. (Generally performed as a concert without stage action, a serenata was viewed as an evening’s entertainment.) Parnasso in Festa was written to celebrate the marriage of Princess Anne to Prince William of Orange. Set in Greece, the plot is based around the wedding of King Peleus (one of Jason’s Argonauts) and Thetis (a sea-nymph) where three Muses plus Apollo, Orpheus, Mars and Clori are in attendance. This release, brought to us by The King’s Consort directed by Matthew Halls, is an excellent way to discover this little-known work. Soloists include Carolyn Sampson, Lucy Crowe and Diana Moore, whose voices are well-suited to their respective parts. The music is wide-ranging in style, from the virtuosic (take for example Diana Moore’s solo aria, Torni pure) to the mournful. Nel patto is an exquisite ensemble, bringing together four of the soloists and chorus in an emotional moment of contemplation. The King's Consort provides sensitive instrumental accompaniment, with choral singing coming from the Choir of the King's Consort. The overall result is a beautiful perfomance of a work which deserves more attention. If this was Handel's idea of an evening's entertainment, I can only envy his audience!

Reviewed by Ruth Squire