Vivica Genaux has excellent technical grounding in singing Baroque opera; Bernard Labadie's Canadian chamber orchestra Les Violons du Roy play Baroque music on modern instruments with more colour and personality than plenty of period bands. Add to that mix a strong interpretation of the showpiece “mad” scene (“Ah! Stigie larve”) from Handel's Orlando this could be a surefire success. However, after three substantial opera arias representing Handel's mid-1730s operatic peak, the charming cantata Splenda l'alba in Oriente (composed more than 20 years earlier) sticks out like a sore thumb simply because it does not complement the chosen arias either historically or artistically (although Handel's beguiling orchestral parts are attractively played).

Three well crafted arias from Hasse's Arminio are ideal fare for Genaux's pinpoint accuracy and florid ornamentation, and his cantata La Scusa is the most enjoyable revelation (its 10-minute aria “Trova un sol” has ravishing use of flutes and horns). Although programming three arias and a large-scale cantata by each of the two composers might be democratic, the arbitrary ad hoc result has restricted coherence owing to the three arias of each composer occupying similar territory. The individual performances of the Handel items (such as the rousing horns in “Sta nell'Ircana”) are pleasing enough, but this motley assortment feels like it would have blossomed from exclusively pursuing Hasse in more contrasted depth. Perhaps Virgin should have committed a bit more time to pondering how to use the repertoire in order to convey some sense of meaningfulness instead of expending such effort on Genaux's glamorous cover photo.