With much of Handel’s mature work now well represented on CD, his less familiar early music is proving increasingly popular fare. The 100 or so chamber cantatas he wrote during his four years in Italy (1706-10) are a particularly rich resource. Dramatically striking, instrumentally adventurous and blessed with a profusion of glorious tunes, these cantatas are brimful with the sunny exuberance of a young composer delighted to show off his talents. Deborah York, best-known for her work with Philippe Herreweghe and Robert King, has chosen four suitably diverse pieces.

What can anyone add to the praise that has deservedly been heaped on Robert King and the King's Consort's 11 discs of the complete sacred music of Vivaldi? Can one add that every single performance is first class – wonderfully musical, deeply dedicated, and profoundly spiritual? Can one add that every single performer is first class – absolutely in-tune, entirely in-sync, and totally committed? Can one add that every single recording is first class – amazingly clean, astoundingly clear, and astonishingly warm? One can because it's all true and it's all been said before by critics and listeners across the globe. Can one say that every piece is a masterpiece – that every piece is filled with the consummate skill, the irresistible joy, and the radiant spirituality that was Vivaldi's specialty? One can because this, too, is true. From the well-known Gloria, Magnificat, and Stabat Mater to the little known In furore giustissimae irae, O qui coeli terraeque serenitas, and Cur sagittas, cur tela, truly every work is a masterpiece and anyone – from the deeply devout to the deeply doubtful – will love these works, these performances, and these recordings if they love music.

–James Leonard