The plot of Tamerlano may on the face of it seem a rather feeble one. But ultimately‚ at least at this period‚ a good opera plot is one that draws strong and characterful music from the composer‚ and this one passes that test with flying colours. Composed in 1724 during one of Handel’s richest creative spells – just after Giulio Cesare‚ just before Rodelinda – it is predominantly a sombre work‚ dealing with Tamburlaine’s conquest of the Turks and his misplaced marital ambitions‚ and it ends with the suicide of the proud and defiant Ottoman emperor‚ Bajazet. Although that enables the survivors to resolve the dramatic impasse‚ and allows the obligatory lieto fine (happy ending)‚ the predominant mood of the opera remains‚ with the concludingcelebratory chorus bleakly set in E minor. This‚ the third CD recording of the opera‚ enshrines the impressive series of performances given last summer‚ in Jonathan Miller’s production‚ in Paris‚ Halle and London (this recording was made during the four performances at Sadler’s Wells). Tamerlano has quite a complicated history as Handel revised it both before and after its première‚ and Trevor Pinnock’s chosen text broadly follows Handel’s own ultimate intentions. Much turns on the portrayal of Bajazet. Thomas Randle is not your typical smooth and expressive Handelian tenor‚ which is not what the role demands. He brings a great deal of intensity to Bajazet’s music‚ with a voice and a style that make few concessions to conventional lyricism. The tone is masculine and strongly focused‚ occasionally verging on hardness‚ although the lowest register is slightly pallid. Rhythms are vigorous and sturdy. He makes the wilful lines of such an aria as ‘A suoi piedi’ dramatically meaningful and is passionate‚ almost violent in his third­act outburst‚ ‘Empio‚ per farti guerra’; and he rises splendidly to the death scene with its extended accompanied recitative. It’s a powerful and compelling performance‚ very much a theatrical one. The same spirit informs Elizabeth Norberg­Schulz’s singing of Asteria: not much conventional beauty‚ but plenty of dramatic tension – evident in her first aria‚ ‘Se non mi vuol amar’ and her expression of defiance in Act 2. Yet she also takes time to shape her more lyrical music‚ such as ‘Deh! lasciatemi’‚ although the singing is still tense‚ and the edge and the touch of vibrancy to the voice remain. She rises even more splendidly to the magnificent aria that forms a great final climax to Act 2‚ ‘Cor di padre’ (Handel in fact moved this‚ understandably‚ to the beginning of Act 3‚ but for various reasons his original scheme is followed here). Anna Bonitatibus sings with plenty of spirit‚ accuracy and broad phrasing as Irene‚ and she is graceful in her Act 2 aria (where Handel uses clarinets). Graham Pushee provides some eloquent lyrical singing as Andronicus‚ originally the main castrato role; I greatly enjoyed his caressing of the notes in his beautifully poised account of his main Act 2 aria‚ ‘Cerco in vano’. The casting of Tamburlaine himself‚ originally another castrato role‚ is problematic: Monica Bacelli does pretty well‚ but cannot bring to the music quite the weight or the incisiveness that are needed to establish him as the ruthless conqueror and dictator. Trevor Pinnock is an attentive conductor‚ providing spruce‚ lively rhythms and considerate handling of the orchestra to accommodate the singers‚ and keeping the recitative alive. He sometimes silences the double­basses‚ questionable on grounds of authenticity‚ but often the effect is telling. Unfortunately he also allows liberal rewriting in the da capos which too often transgress the principles of true ornamentation and destroy Handel’s lines and his counterpoint. Of the versions listed above‚ Gardiner too follows a broadly authentic text (though again with the noble but ‘wrong’ aria at the end of Act 2) and has a strong cast‚ with Michael Chance a very fine Andronicus‚ Nigel Robson singing with much musicianship and considerable dramatic force as Bajazet‚ Nancy Argenta stylish if dramatically lightweight as Asteria and Jane Findlay a neat Irene; Derek Lee Ragin may lack the ideal focus and force for Tamburlaine’s music but is still impressive. On balance‚ thatversion‚ directed with a keen sense of drama‚ is my first choice for the opera; there is some excellent singing in the Malgoire recording‚ especially from John Elwes‚ who presents a rather different characterisation of Bajazet‚ but this version is disfigured by some apparently arbitrary choices in determining the text and especially the omission of much of one of the opera’s finest scenes‚ the end of Act 2.