This deluxe, 21st anniversary reissue of Lorraine Hunt Lieberson’s legendary recording of the character Irene’s arias from George Frideric Handel’s Theodora – plus the composer’s cantata La Lucrezia and the evergreen aria “Ombra mai fu” from Serse – evokes vivid memories of the mezzo-soprano’s galvanising musicianship and opens the ears of a new generation of music lovers to appreciate the timelessness of Lorraine’s poignant interpretations. Specially remastered for this CD, the longevity of these performances is a testament to Lorraine’s unique voice and soul.

Conductor and leading Baroque specialist Harry Bicket recalls the immediate musical connection he and Lorraine shared from the time they first met in 1996 during rehearsals for Theodora at Glyndebourne. When Peter Sellars’s staging of the cantata was revived in 2003, it seemed obvious to go into the studio to record Lorraine’s Theodora arias.

A maverick musician and a riveting performer, Lorraine died in 2006 due to complications from cancer at the far-too-young age of 52. This recording, one of her last, preserves her consummate musical persona for posterity. The New Yorker’s classical columnist Alex Ross characterised the album as “pull-down-the-blinds, unplug-the-telephone, can’t-talk-right-now beautiful. She’s singing it again; I have to go.”