Handel’s cantatas represent an important but until recently little-known area of his work. Even now newly discovered works are found and performed to much excitement in the media and among lovers of Handel’s music. They were written during his time in Rome from 1707/8, and were intended for private use. They range from miniatures consisting of two arias, recitative and a basso continuo, to large scale works with all the drama of his operas, complete with named characters, a plot, and large orchestral forces.

This CD contains the remarkable ‘Tra le fiamme’, written for Cardinal Pamphilj, who provided the text. The story concerns a young man who’s heart is playing for amusement and affection ‘in the flames’, but is being deceived by ‘charm and beauty’. He considers the fact that very few people escape the flames of love safely, and without being hurt. The story then turns to the example of Daedalus and his son Icarus, and how man seldom learns from history.