Hercules (Gardiner) (1983)

'Hercules was first performed in 1745 in the manner of an oratorio, but its inherently theatrical nature is revealed in Handels description of it as a musical drama. This performance was recorded in 1983, and it may be that Gardiner would choose rather different-sounding soloists today: at any rate, the rich and steely voices of Sarah Walker and John Tomlinson sound somewhat at odds with the lighter, transparent orchestral and choral textures. That said, theres no denying Walkers impressive characterisation of Dejanira, though Tomlinson rather hams up the role of Hercules. Anthony Rolfe Johnson is outstanding, bringing the minor role of Hyllus vividly to life in just three arias. Here and there Gardiner holds back the dramatic thrust, with some deliberate recitatives, and one or two long pauses between items, but the contributions he extracts from the choir and orchestra are superb'. (Kate Bolton, classical-music.com).