I can't say I know many of them that well, but one reason for my choosing Giulio Cesare is the more colourful scoring it has, compared with others whose instrumental textures are more stereotyped. It also has more arias I remember than any of the others I know. I would imagine those are two useful criteria for your purposes, Reiner.

I prefer the oratorios though.

Difficult.

Giulio Cesare is obviously a strong contender, for all the reasons mentioned above (not too long? no, it needn't be, although when ENO did it there was a very public spat between Charles Mackerras and Winton Dean about ENO's cuts).  Depending on casting, you could choose Alcina or Ariodante, both of which contain some of Handel's finest music, but either really depends on having the sort of singer who could carry off the title role: I think if I had to choose one aria to demonstrate the musical and dramatic power of Handel's operas, Scherza infida from Ariodante would be it, but Alcina is full of absolutely glorious music and has two well-known hit numbers to draw in the punters.    Serse is great fun, but it's almost ballad opera and not really typical of Handel.

So - Alcina by a neck, just ahead of Giulio Cesare.

Oh, I'm of one mind with you there, PW!!

It's probably the "Desert Island Disk" I'd pick "if I could only take one", and I'd want the performance by Sarah Connolly which is on her disk "Heroes & Heroines", recorded with Harry Christophers and The Sixteen...  sumptuous, magnificent, tragic beauty.  (Not available on disk, but I must also put in a word for the performance Louse Winter gave with ETO a couple of years ago).

Things come and go on my mp3-player,  but that one's a "sticky"   (The whole album is, to be honest).

Thanks to everyone so far for sharing your thoughts!!   I hope there are more viewpoints to come (I believe there's a RODELINDA camp here on these boards too,  who may be biding their time or simply enjoying the nice weekend weather )   I know IGI. GG, Ron and Ollie will have views on these things, among many others...

I somehow predicted RODELINDA might put on a bit of a surge... and indeed it's currently in the lead   Thanks, Robert, for that very telling point...  that the overall result is possibly more important than any "highlight moments".  Troughs and longeurs can chop the legs from under a successful show in the theatre (where going to make a cup of tea, or skipping to the next track-or-two aren't very feasible).  (Of course, RODELINDA's popularity has benefitted from a fine Glyndebourne production that's on DVD with Scholl - now for less than £8 from Amazon Sellers - although it has been extensively "trimmed" to make it flow so well).



GIULIO CESARE also scores well on having a reasonably credible plot (that doesn't turn on some preposterous happenstance or case of mistaken identity), based loosely on supposed actual events, and with leading characters whom we know from our schoolday history lessons.

No takers for RINALDO (which has marvellous music, I relistened to it yesterday on an internet radio broadcast) or SERSE (which has an entirely absurd but amusing plot)?

[By way of background research I've been trying to expand my knowledge of Bononcini and Porpora, but there's precious little on disk... can they really be so poor?  I've ordered some scores to look at meantime.  Hasse is in a slightly better position with recordings.] 

If the question was which is my favourite, the answer is Semele.  That is partly because it is in English.  I have seen it perfectly satisfactorily done on stage, but the choral writing is not operatic, but for an oratorio.

Of the Italian operas, I would like to put a word in for Orlando, already mentioned by Robert Dahm and not in the poll.  It is far more small scale than the others, although taken from Arisoto.  Five characters, each with distinctive music (the first bass aria in particular is spendid Tra le caligne, IIRC.)

Orlando himself has a mad scene at the end of Act 2 where he complusively repeats a catchy little gavotte tune in between contrasted sections.  Of course the splendour of Handel operas are their da capo arias, but it is nice to think he could do something else.

For some reason my heart sinks at the idea of Giulio Cesare.  If you want a large scale work with magic (which goes so well with the musical conventions and style), how about Alcina?

Ah, it's got to be Orlando - if nothing else for the viola d'amore duet.  Sheer gorgeousness.

Some day I'll get my hands on on a viola d'amore and learn how to play it, just in the hope I get to do that duet some even more distant day...

Oh it's absolutely magical.  They play when Orlando has passed the peak of his madness and is sinking into sleep.  Ravishing stuff.