Mi palpita il cor is a favorite of singers--both in its soprano and alto versions--and it has several fine recordings, including those by mezzo/alto Stephanie Houtzeel and Marie-Nicole Lemieux (for reviews, type Q8037 and Q5991, respectively in Search Reviews) and soprano Emma Kirkby. This one joins the list, although I'm not very fond of Scholl's habit of articulating fast runs with h's before each note.

I'm also not wild about soprano Hélène Guilmette, who joins Scholl for the big number, the cantata known both as Amarilli vezzosa (charming Amaryllis) or Il duello amoroso (the amorous duel). Her voice is just a bit too bright in places, and her frequently uneven tone quality and erratic dynamic control, especially in her opening recit and aria, give an unsettling nervous cast to her singing. Perhaps she's just caught up in the effort to depict the mocking nature of her character, but interestingly these qualities nearly disappear from her delivery at the end of the cantata when she sings with Scholl--and ultimately their final "duel" is very well done. The sound is ideal, with instruments and voices well-placed and faithfully captured in a complementary studio acoustic.

--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com