At first glance Rome seems an unlikely home (however temporary) for an aspiring young opera composer. A Papal ban of 1703 prohibited the performance of opera in the city, but both musicians and patrons found their way around the restrictions by rebranding essentially the same music as cantatas – works whose music more than compensated for the lack of visual drama. Handel produced some 80 during his lifetime, many dating from his stays in Rome.

For this collaboration with Robert King and The King’s Consort, English soprano Carolyn Sampson combines four of these solo cantatas to create a surprisingly varied recital. Vividly dramatic scenas for Agrippina (Agrippina condotta a morire) and Armida (