The Scholars Baroque Ensemble, who have already recorded an atmospheric if not consistently beguiling Fairy Queen (7/94), work all hands to the tiller, as they shun the idea of a single maestro directing the proceedings. Strong artistic leadership is something of a prerequisite in this concentrated and delicately paced opera: so often, a studio recording evokes little more than a dramatically haphazard series of tableaux. Whilst this new recording cannot rival the leading versions by Mackerras (Archiv, 7/95 – nla) and Hogwood for consistent intensity and refinement, The Scholars project a natural momentum, aided by deftly judged tempos and a refreshingly unmannered no-nonsense approach to phrasing. One-to-a-part strings leave us distinctly underwhelmed in the scrappily played Overture, and sadly some of the most radiant dances too, but there is an immediate vocal presence with the assured and pragmatic Belinda of Anna Crookes and Kym Amps’s increasingly involved Dido. Sarah Connolly’s Sorceress means business and there is a real sense of the epic in her impressive voice. The chorus are exciting, robust and warm-toned and the lament-to-end-all-laments is sufficiently affecting to appeal to seasoned collectors and novices alike. David van Asch is a soft-edged Aeneas, which is certainly a most plausible characterization, though he suffers more than most from revealing close-miking.
That said, there is a compelling immediacy to the proceedings and were it not for some of the above misgivings, this would rate highly as a distinctive version on any terms – especially with some fresh and unobtrusive additions at critical moments. As it is, very good value at super-budget price.'