Personally, I have little use for opera from the high baroque. From the time that Monteverdi put down his pen until Mozart took up his, I can only think of one operatic composer, Gluck, whose work consistently holds my interest, and he wrote in what we now call the classical era.

Nevertheless, when I listen to something like Handel's Rinaldo I can occasionally understand why some people are enthusiastic. The martial moments are stirring and the mood painting is unusually apt for opera of the period. Some of the other music is drop-dead gorgeous. Almirena's aria Augelletti che cantate with its sunny melody and musical bird effects has never sounded lovelier than it does here in Bartoli's rendition, and it is but one of several beautiful numbers. Rinaldo's Cara sposa is another. It is sung to ravishing perfection by countertenor David Daniels.

That brings me to what caught my attention about this recording. The other countertenor, our own Daniel Taylor, is impressive in the role of Eustazio. His voice is a fine as ever, and he manages to sound noble and powerful in the role. That's no small feat for a countertenor.

Canadian Gerald Finley as Argante is a real presence as well. Beyond the basic appeal of his voice, he handles the considerable technical challenges of the role with aplomb.

Even Christopher Hogwood and the AAM are not as stodgy as they sometimes are. Indeed some of the orchestral work is downright exciting.

So, is this admirable recording likely to draw me in to the baroque or Handel opera folds? Not really. It is nearly three hours long and contains, perhaps, an hour of memorable music. Most of its numbers advance the story too little and are too blatantly vehicles for the singers to strut their stuff. And the libretto, while it is above average for its era, is too little atuned to our current tastes in dramaturgy.

Mind you, it's better than some few 19th century librettos, Il Trovatore for example, but that's another story.