…a long succession of fine arias offering opportunities for six principals that are fully seized on this occasion. With keenly etched orchestral playing and lucid sound, this is unusually consistent, dramatically motivated performance.

Ezio is like a Roman thriller. Those wanting superficial thrills and glamorous wit from their Baroque operas might not know what to make of it, and the original audience in 1732 certainly didn't (it was one of Handel's worst commercial flops). However, it frequently shows the composer at his most masterful.
Alan Curtis sagely allows Handel's music to speak for itself unhindered by artificial gimmicks: ritornellos are subtle, continuo accompaniment of recitatives is exemplary for its pacing and judgement, and singers declaim their texts with utmost clarity. The sole disadvantage is that more passionate music is underplayed and lightweight, which means that sometimes it lacks dramatic punch and expressiveness. For instance, the dance-like courtliness in the overture is elegantly moulded but could do with some fiery intensity, and the final chorus is curiously underdone. So much of the performance is musically meticulous, but it would have flourished with a few more degrees of dramatic heat.
'Ecco alle mie catene', an emotional prisonscene aria at the end of Act 2, is sensitively sung by Ann Hallenberg but Il Complesso Barocco sound underpowered; a better synergy between instruments and voice is achieved in 'Se la mia vita'. Fulvia's dazzling aria di bravura 'La mia costanza' is impressive for Karina Gauvin's articulate stylishness and a fantastic cadenza.
Sonia Prina's singing is admirable. Anicio Zorzi Giustiniani's fast runs are a bit dry in the superbly played 'Và! dal furor portata'. The unusual instrumentation for flutes and violette in Onoria's 'Quanto mai felice' is excellently played. Vito Priante sings Varo's splendid trumpet aria 'Già risonar d'intorno' with robust precision (Curtis adds a timpani part). Overall, this is an excellent and much-needed first complete recording, and confirms that Ezio is a fascinating serious drama.

Alan Curtis sagely allows Handel's music to speak for itself unhindered by artificial gimmicks: ritornellos are subtle, continuo accompaniment of recitatives is exemplary for its pacing and judgement, and singers declaim their texts with utmost clarity. Overall, this is an excellent and much-needed first complete recording, and confirms that Ezio is a fascinating serious drama.

The performance...relies on fresh, mainly young voices, cleanly focused...Curtis with his period-performance forces is also fresh and lively, with the acoustic of a theatre nicely caught. A valuable set of an enjoyable rarity.

As Ezio, Ann Hallenberg’s serene mezzo contrasts well with Sonia Prina’s beefy emperor Valentiniano, while Karina Gauvin’s virago-like Fulvia, Anicio Zorzi Giustiniani’s treacherous, scheming Massimo and Vito Priante’s Varo are all outstanding. The drama sizzles and the arias ravish the ear.

...apart from the conflicted Massimo, none of the characters has much psychological depth. It's wonderfully done, though, with Alan Curtis and Il Complesso Barocco admirably capturing its sombre mood and some very flamboyant singing from Karina Gauvin (Fulvia) and Ann Hallenberg (Ezio).

Built on a stern libretto, with an initially slow plot, Handel’s Ezio flopped spectacularly in 1732. While Curtis’s revival with Il Compesso Barocco and choice voices doesn’t reveal a lost masterpiece, the music and drama soon heat up. Karina Gauvin is particularly fine as the patrician’s daughter who journeys from innocence to outrage, and Ann Hallenberg glows as the Roman general Ezio.