Based on Alexander Pushkin’s eponymous novel, Tchaikovsky’s lyric opera Eugene Onegin is constructed in what Tchaikovsky termed ‘lyrical scenes’, in which the opera’s episodic nature reflects the story of Onegin’s remorse in rejecting the young Tatyana and instigating a fatal duel in which his friend Lensky dies. This audiovisual recording from La Monnaie in Brussels features the admired pairing of conductor Alain Altinoglu and Laurent Pelly, one of the most sought-after stage directors of his generation. The fine cast of singers features French baritone Stéphane Degout in the title role, ‘[who] delivers a superb incarnation of Onegin, as much by the beauty of his rich baritone and the excellence of his diction as by the way he experiences the evolution of this strange character, from a cold and superficial dandy to a figure finally capable of emotion and sincere love.’ (bachtrack)

Also available on Blu-ray Video (NBD0185V)

This is the audio version of the world premiere audiovisual recording of Donizetti’s opera Alfredo il grande, which was released in June 2024 on the Dynamic label (DYN-38031/DYN-58031). The production was part of the Bergamo Donizetti Opera Festival’s continuing series of neglected early works by the composer. Premiered in 1823, this staging was the first performance of Alfredo il grande in modern times. Performed in Edoardo Cavalli’s 2021 critical edition of the work, Gramophone noted the ‘superb’ performance of Gilda Fiume in the role of Amalia and acknowledged the ‘gifted tenore di grazia’ of Antonino Siragusa in the title role, describing the whole production as a ‘vocally accomplished performance’ and noting how conductor Corrado Rovaris ‘directs it with point and precision’. Rovaris’ distinguished record as an opera conductor was recognised by the award of a knighthood by the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 2015, and by the award of the Franco Abbiati Prize the following year.

Developed in collaboration with the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Naxos’ Music of Brazil series is part of the Brasil em Concerto project, presenting around 100 orchestral, chamber, choral and vocal works from the 19th and 20th centuries. They’re recorded by the country’s top orchestras, ensembles and artists, and are selected according to their historical importance for Brazilian music. Multi-award-winning composer Ronaldo Miranda (b. 1948) has received many commissions from leading artists and institutions, and his music is regularly performed in prestigious venues in Brazil and around the world. His representation on recordings has until now been mostly for his chamber music, including the superb Appassionata for guitar (8.557295). Three of the four works on this programme are heard in their world premiere recordings. Piano soloist Eduardo Monteiro, conductor Fabio Mechetti and the Minas Gerais Philharmonic all enjoy distinguished reputations both in their native Brazil and internationally.

The Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky violin concertos are such an established and well-loved part of the repertoire that making introductions for the works themselves often seems unnecessary. So we’ll restrict our comments here to the solo artist Guido Sant'Anna, who is yet to turn twenty years old, but who has already been turning plenty of heads with his artistry. When the Brazilian violinist opened the Rheingau Music Festival in 2023, the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung noted the ‘charisma, stage presence and an astonishing maturity and depth in his playing.’ As a 17-year-old, he was awarded 1st Prize at the 2022 Fritz Kreisler International Violin Competition, and he was the first Brazilian violinist to be invited to the Yehudi Menuhin International Competition in Geneva, where he won the Audience and Chamber Music Awards in 2018. The São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, one of the pre-eminent orchestras in Latin America, is conducted on this album by Thierry Fischer, their principal conductor since 2020.

Time and again, conductor Jean-Luc Tingaud has proved himself a French music interpreter par excellence with his previous albums for Naxos of works by Dukas, Bizet, D’Indy, Poulenc, Massenet and Chausson. He adds to that distinguished discography with this selection of Fauré’s secular choral and theatrical music – works that remain relatively little known. The programme notably includes the first recording of Désiré-Émile Inghelbrecht’s inventive and sympathetic arrangement for orchestra of Fauré’s largest piano work, the Theme and Variations in C sharp minor. Featuring Ireland’s National Symphony and Chorus, the artist list also includes a quartet of fine vocal soloists. These include mezzo-soprano Tara Erraught, whose recent Wigmore Hall recital was described as ‘simply exquisite’ by The Guardian; also Andalusian soprano Ruth Rosique, French tenor Julien Dran and Irish baritone Benjamin Russell, winner of the Richard Tauber Prize at the 2019 Wigmore/Independent Opera International Song Competition.

Composer/pianists Emil von Sauer and Conrad Ansorge had the privilege of studying under the legendary Franz Liszt, who preferred to be known as an advisor, rather than a teacher. Even so, their lessons with the world-famous musician influenced and developed both their individual styles and extraordinary abilities. This Capriccio recording presents two significant and unjustly forgotten piano concertos by these pupils of Liszt that reflect both their versatility and their deep understanding of musical form and structure. A renowned champion of neglected composers, pianist Oliver Triendl is the ideal soloist for this programme; his 100-plus albums include some 90 piano concertos, many in their first recordings.

This album bears the fruit of pianist Robert Markham’s research into the life and works of Franz Xaver Mozart, the youngest child of Wolfgang Amadeus and student of distinguished teachers Antonio Salieri and Johann Nepomuk Hummel. Although he lived under the long shadow of expectation cast by his father, Franz Xaver produced works that duly reflected his own innate talent as a composer-pianist. Robert Markham performs a highly absorbing programme on this album that includes Franz Xaver’s largest work, the Piano Sonata in G major – an assured, distinctive piece that balances dance with drive; and his most virtuosic work – the exuberant Fantasy on a Russian Song and a Krakowiak. Also featured are the variations on his father’s music for Don Giovanni which readily illustrate Franz Xaver’s great gifts for elaboration and playfulness.

We strongly recommend that lovers of ballet explore this new Royal Ballet recording of Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. Embodying one of the most powerful tales of love, treachery and forgiveness, it remains to this day one of the best-loved works in the classical ballet canon. With magnificent performances by principal ballerina Yasmine Naghdi as Odette/Odile, and principal dancer Matthew Ball as Prince Siegfried, The Arts Desk gave the production a five-star rating, hailing it as ‘grand, eloquent, superb.’ Tchaikovsky’s sensational score combines here with the evocative imagination of choreographer Liam Scarlett and designer John Macfarlane to heighten the dramatic pathos of Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov’s quintessential ballet classic.

Also available on Blu-ray Video (OABD7326D)