Album: Cecilia Bartoli, Mission (Decca)

As with her castrati collection Sacrificium, Cecilia Bartoli's Mission features a striking cover image: the mezzo-soprano as bald priest. This is but one unusual aspect of a double-album showcasing the work of 17th-century Italian composer Agostino Steffani, given the promotional tie-in with a specially written Donna Leon novel.

Not that the music is short of intrinsic attraction: Bartoli is as poised as ever on gems like "Sposa, Mancar Mi Sento", from the opera Tassilone, while the Swiss period orchestra I Barocchisti deftly employs prancing harpsichord, poignant viols and percussive flourishes – the majestic brightness of the horns urging Bartoli to quite gymnastic feats of coloratura ornamentation on "Schiere Invitte, Non Tardate".