No sooner had I reviewed an excellent disc of chamber cantatas by Handel sung by the French countertenor, Gerard Lesne (Virgin Classics VC7 91480-2, 12/91) than another, with the American countertenor Derek Lee Ragin, landed on the doormat. Derek Lee Ragin's voice is more brightly coloured than Lesne's and in its range and strong projection closer, perhaps to what I imagine an eighteenth-century castrato's to have been. Both singers have secure techniques and fine sensibilities, Ragin conveying a readier sense of fun than Lesne whose greater strength lies in the conveyance of pathetic utterance. Fortunately for Handelians only one of the four cantatas in each programme is common to both, that being the attractive Carco sempre di gloria in praise of St Cecilia. Each singer, furthermore, has hit upon the effective idea of interspersing the cantatas with instrumental sonatas and these, again, are different in each case. Ragin's recital contains the Oboe Sonata in F, better known in its published version in G for flute and continuo (Op. 1 No. 5), and the Oboe Sonata in C minor (Op. 1 No. 8). These are stylishly played by Alison Gangler, one of the members of Cologne Divitia Ensemble; and that goes for the Ensemble as a whole, in providing Ragin with lively and sympathetic continuo support throughout.
All the cantatas but Carco sempre di gloria are products of Handel's Italian period and all but Carco sempre are with basso continuo only, though the information on the disc is misleading on that point. Ragin is attentive to the texts and his declamation is lively, articulate and skilfully coloured with dynamic shading. Carco sempre is especially successful for the evenly matched partnership sustained by the voice and the oboe obbligato in the first aria. Not every one of the oboe's notes hits its target in the centre but the playing none the less is admirable for the sensibility shown towards the voice. In short an enjoyable recital and a thoughtfully constructed programme, well recorded and including texts though these, alas, are in Italian only. If it's a question of choosing between this disc and the recital by Lesne then it is the latter perhaps which offers the more substantial programme; but my advice is to get them both.'