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“This recording is a fresh voiced account of these wonderful pieces, full of energy and sparkle, featuring singing of lovely character with some delightful ornamentation. A welcome addition to the catalogue and a notable solo recording debut for this young artist.” - David Clegg (International Counter-tenor) Händel’s Neun Deutsche Arien – settings of extracts from Barthold Heinrich Brockes’ poems Irdisches vergnügen in Gott (Earthly Delight in God) – remained unpublished until 1922, becoming known as one of the composer’s best kept secrets. Their air of mystery makes them all the more beguiling. In style they are quietly theatrical, intimately elaborate, each boasting the kind of melodies that cry out for decoration, but always in a style reflective of their worshipful subject matter. Händel’s operatic writing is evident in his expressive lines and interplay with obbligato instruments, but overall these pieces are impactful through intricacies rather than extravagances and therefore have a rather more poetic flavour than an operatic one. The arias were composed individually between 1724 and 1726, and were probably intended for performance in Hamburg. A soprano “Blessed with a voice of pristine clarity”, Penelope Appleyard is becoming known for the purity and agility of her voice, and her stylish interpretations of historical repertoire. She graduated with Distinction from the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and now performs as a soloist and consort singer, particularly in the field of early music.