A highly intelligent & rather imaginative recital: Handel’s Italians – Italian castrati in the London oratorios from Carlo Vistoli on Harmonia Mundi

Handel’s Italians: Italian castrati in the London oratorios – music from Handel’s Esther, Deborah, Athalia, Belshazzar, Messiah, Theodora; Carlo Vistoli, Giulia Semenzato, Le Concert d’Astrée, Emmanuelle Haïm; Harmonia Mundi
Reviewed 1 September 2026

This rather imaginative recital focuses on music from Handel’s oratorios sung by Italian castratos, including arias specially Italianised for them, here benefitting from suavely stylish performances from Italian countertenor Carlo Vistoli 

Handel’s move from writing Italian opera to English oratorio did not happen immediately, and for some ten years the two genres ran almost simultaneously in Handel’s output. So, whilst we might emphasise the role of English singers in oratorio with names like Anastasia Robinson, Susannah Cibber, John Beard and others, Handel’s Italian singers also played an interesting role in oratorio’s genesis.

This new disc from Carlo Vistoli, Handel’s Italians: Italian castrati in the London oratorios on Harmonia Mundi (release 4 September 2026) sees the countertenor join with Le Concert d’Astrée, conductor Emmanuelle Haïm, and soprano Giulia Semenzato, for a programme exploring the music from Handel’s oratorios written a range of Italian castratos. Vistoli is no stranger to Handel’s English oratorios having recently performed in Semele at Covent Garden. [see my review]

Handel presented a new version of Esther at the King’s Theatre in 1732, hurriedly assembled in order to keep Handel’s interest in the work after rival performances (following a gap of some 12 years since Esther‘s previous outing). The cast inevitably included a selection of Italian singers who had given Flavio, re de’ Longobardi just a few weeks earlier including soprano Anna Maria Strada, the castrato Francesco Bernardi, known as ‘Il Senesino’, contralto Francesca Bertolli, and bass Antonio Montagnana. From then on, oratorio would be presented with a mix of nationalities, depending on who was available. When presenting Athalia in 1733, Handel had an all-English cast except for Strada and his later oratorios would also use Italian sopranos Giulia Frasi and Caterina Galli alongside other English singers.

Senesino first worked for Handel in London in 1720, and he would be a regular feature of Handel’s London seasons until 1733. We have to assume that Senesino had a relatively robust grasp of English, but one anecdote suggests that his pronunciation left something to be desired, rendering the line ‘I come my Queen, to chaste delights’ into ‘I comb my Queen to chase the lice’.

In 1733, the castrato Carestini was in London to sing in the premieres of Arianna in Creta, Ariodante, and Alcina, some of Handel’s finest mezzo-soprano hero roles. Carestini also performed in revivals of Deborah, Esther, and Athalia. Carestini, a difficult character at the best of times, seems to have balked at singing in English and for the oratorio revivals Handel created Italian arias for him, including transposing them to suit Carestini’s (modern) mezzo-soprano range. Some of these arias use Italian translations of the original words whilst others were created anew. For the 1735 revival of Athalia, the arias include a reworking of an aria from the motet Silete venti.

By the 1740s, though Handel’s oratorios were largely sung by English singers he used Italians where available. So for Giovanni Battista Andreoni, who sang in the operas Imeneo and Deidamia, Handel
prepared for him a translated and transposed version of the part of David in the 1741 revival of Saul.

Rather different were Handel’s relations with Gaetano Guadagni. Guadagni arrived in London singing comic operas with a visiting Italian company. He seems to have found a niche, evidently studying with Garrick and working with Handel so Guadagni created the role of Didymus in Theodora (alongside Giulia Frasi and Caterina Galli) and had some virtuoso arias (in English) created for Messiah.

After the overture from Concerto Grosso Op.6 No. 10, the disc works its way through the music for these various Italians. One thing to say is that the English pronunciation from both Vistoli and Semenzato is excellent so we never have to wince the way the original London audiences might have.

We begin with Esther, as performed by Senesino with ‘How can I stay when Love invites’ and the duet ‘Who calls my parting soul from death?’ which introduce us to Vistoli’s attractively warm tone, easy lyricism and distinctive way with coloratura. We then move on to Deborah. Fascinatingly we hear both Senesino’s vividly bravura ‘All danger disdaining’ and as well as Carestini’s beautifully lyrical ‘Più bella spoglia sarà fral’ which transports us directly to Italian opera, so presumably Carestini was happy.

Moving to Guadagni, we first hear Cyrus’s ‘Great God! Who yet but darkly known’ from Belshazzar.  This role written for Anastasia Robinson but Vistoli’s assumption shows the way it has been taken over by countertenors today, and the aria represents Handel writing directly for Guadagni as it was inserted into the 1751 revival.

From Theodora, we have the aria ‘The raptur’d soul defies the sword’ and the duet (with Frasi) ‘To thee, thou glorious son of worth’. Vistoli is engaging and dramatic in the aria, then he and Semenzato rise to suitable heights for the duet, which is preceded by a fine accompanied recitative.  And the final Guadagni contribution is the more familiar ‘But who may abide the day of His coming’ from Messiah with its vivid contrast between the gorgeous lyricism (one of Guadagni’s strengths, evidently) and busy virtuosity, Handelian oratorio looking back towards Italian opera, and Vistoli reflects this with discreet ornamentation.

Andreoni’s Italianisation of Saul is represented by ‘Di Jonathan lo stral portò’, and striking to hear ‘Brave Jonathan his bow ne’er drew’ in a different form. And the disc ends by returning to 1735 for a pair of arias from Athalia Italianised for Carestini. It is fascinating to hear ‘Cor fedele’ based on Silete Venti, yet rendered with complete conviction and beauty here. Then ‘Angelico Splendor’ brings things to a fine bravura conclusion.

Carlo Vistoli clearly has great feeling for Handel’s music, yet the premise for the recital means that this is far more than a greatest hits compilation. Vistoli is at his best in the more lyrical music, displaying beauty of line allied to warm tone. Another credit to him is the range of the arias, as the original singers were both alto and soprano castratos. He is finely paired with soprano Giulia Semenzato and the two make lovely balanced and blended duet partners. Throughout Haïm and Le Concert d’Astrée make superb supportive contributions.

Would anyone ever think of reviving a complete polyglot Handel oratorio such as Athalia or Saul? Probably not! But in the crowded market of Handel recital discs, Vistoli here brings suave and stylish performances to a highly intelligent and rather imaginative recital.