Always driven by deadlines, Handel finished his London opera Flavio days before the premiere at the Theatre Royal, Haymarket, in 1723. This three-act tragic-comedy, only restored to the repertoire 40 years ago, begins in comic mode, swings to darkness as the plot gets more tangled then is saved by a swift happy ending.

The ins and outs of the story needn’t detain us: Flavio, king of the Lombards who also rules England, is embroiled with his two chief counsellors, one of whom has a daughter he falls for but she is already secretly fixed up elsewhere. Muddle and torment ensue.

Christopher Hogwood had assembled a strong cast for the seven roles — there is no chorus — led by two countertenors: Iestyn Davies, crisp and alert in the title role, and the softer toned Robin Blaze, making the most of his poetic and expressive arias as the troubled, love-lorn Guido. James Gilchrist brought characteristic fiery energy to the role of Ugone, with James Rutherford and Renata Pokupic characterful in support.

Handel’s brilliance as an opera composer guarantees you have a crystal-clear understanding of the emotions expressed: love, jealousy, vengeance. If Flavio lacks the invention of some of his better-known operas, it nevertheless offers a fair share of marvellous arias, especially for Vitige (Maite Beaumont) and Emilia (Karina Gauvin). The Academy of Ancient Music, with only five woodwind and dominated by strings and the delicate colours of the theorbo, played with appropriate grace and gusto.