Vengeful arias like Egeo’s Voglio stragi (from the seldom heard Teseo) are forcefully sung, but it’s in reflective, melodious mode, as in the same character’s striking Serenatevi, o luce belle, that Sabata is at his most expressive and interesting. His mellifluous sound is underpinned by a wheedling, insistent quality, perfect for a master manipulator, and while the voice is full of sweetness, he’s prepared to employ a few dark and sinister colours – the snarling conclusion to Polinesso’s Se l’inganno sortisce felice (from Ariodante) is especially menacing.

Though at times crisper diction and more emphatic delivery might be welcome, Sabata’s tone is firm and focused, and his timbre is attractive if not staggeringly distinctive. He’s a persuasive advocate for these arias, many of which are rarely performed in isolation. Tolomeo’s Belle dèe di questo core mightn’t make much of an impact in the context of Giulio Cesare – an opera packed with hit arias and far more sympathetic characters – but here it reveals itself as a gem of lyrical simplicity, while Dardano’s Agitato il cor mi sento is such a colourful and characteristically Handelian scena that it’s a wonder none of Sabata’s colleagues has previously spirited it away.

Riccardo Manasi’s Il Pomo d’Oro plays with fiery, fearless energy, entering so wholly into the album’s nefarious spirit that they can sound even more dangerous than the vocalising villain himself.