Performer: Fabio Bonizzoni

Overall a good performance of Handel's oratorio Esther at the Halle Festival, but some problems with the soloists unfortunately let it down.

In an operatic head-to-head, Handel would emerge triumphant for most Baroque buffs, yet Milanese soprano Roberta Invernizzi presented an excellent case for the Red Priest in a dazzling Wigmore Hall recital with La Risonanza.