Though he never knew it, Torquato Tasso (1544_95) was one of the most important figures in the history of opera. His epic poem Gerusalemme liberata inspired librettists and composers from Monteverdi onwards. The most popular episode concerned the love that the sorceress Armida bore for the crusader Rinaldo.

Armide, the last of Lully's collaborations with Philippe Quinault, is not represented here; but in 1777, 90 years later, Quinault's libretto was set again by Gluck. Annette Dasch, forwardly balanced, sings the airs expressively but, as the excerpts are not in the correct order, the listener is not presented with any sense of the progress of the drama. “Venez, venez, Haine implacable!” is splendidly passionate, but it ends in mid-air.

What is infuriating about this disc is that, with a little more thought, it could have been so much better. An isolated Baroque or early Classical aria is much more effective when preceded by its recitative, especially when that recitative is accompanied by the orchestra. There would have been plenty of room for the missing recitativo accompagnato before “Ah, crudel, il pianto mio” and before “Ah! ti sento, mio povero core”. Moreover, “Odio, furor, dispetto” is a mere snippet - bonus track, indeed! - from the magnificent scena that ends Act 2 of Jommelli's Armida abbandonata: one that Mozart remembered when he came to compose Elettra's hysterical final exit in Idomeneo.

All the same, this disc is very welcome. Annette Dasch copes admirably with the high tessitura of “Ah! ti sento”, and there is some exciting coloratura in theRinaldo aria and in “Se pietade avete” from Haydn's last opera for Eszterháza. David Syrus and the orchestra are first-rate: indeed, the Gluck Chaconne and the Jommelli Sinfonia are, so to speak, worth hearing in their own right.