Emma Bell - Handel - FT Magazine

With her US debut just behind her and a Covent Garden premiere this month, Bell's star is in the ascendant - an impression confirmed by her commanding despatch of these 11 arias with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. Two are from Rodelinda, the opera with which she made her breakthrough at Glyndebourne, but there are others - from Rinaldo and Radamisto, plus "Piangerò" from Giulio Cesare - that also encapsulate her qualities: a long, vibrant voice, with an acute dramatic sensibility.