This week audiences cannot miss debut albums, a world premiere recording, and two acclaim DVD releases

A Phoenix Rising 

Navona Records releases tenor Brian Smith Walters’ first album. The CD is a cross-section of chansons and Lieder spanning five centuries, and Walters navigates them with stunning bravado. Audiences will hear selections from Purcell, Copland, Schubert, Saint Saens, Tchaikovsky, Barber, Wagner, and Szymanowski.

Welcome to My World 

Cedille Records releases “Welcome to my World,” a solo recital album celebrating the career and artistic versatility of Grammy Award-winning bass-baritone Mark Steven Doss.

“Welcome to my World” begins with a selection of “Devil” songs and arias inspired by Goethe’s Faust, including music by Berlioz, Beethoven, Mussorgsky, Boito, and Gounod. The album also includes the Toreador Song from Bizet’s “Carmen,” “Sibillar gli angui d’Aletto” from Handel’s “Rinaldo,” “Non più andrai” from Mozart’s “Le Nozze di Figaro,” “Là del ciel” from Rossini’s “La Cenerentola,” and “Nemico della patria?” from Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier.” The album further explores three popular Neapolitan songs, in which Doss is accompanied by accordionist Stas Venglevski.

Turning into Song

Musica Solis Records releases”Turning into Song,” devoted to songs derived from the poetry of Lucy Miller Murray, set to music by American composers; all 15 tracks on the album represent world premiere recordings. “Turning into Song” features the music of Jake Heggie, Paul Moravec, Jeremy Gill, Eugene Drucker, Michael Stephen Brown, and Richard Wilson. Featured on the album are newcomer Susannah Woodruff (mezzo-soprano); David Shifrin (clarinet); Yevgeny Yontov (piano); Eugene Drucker (violin and composer); David Finckel (cello); Mischa Bouvier (baritone) and Seunghee Lee (clarinet).

Missing Scenes

New York City-based new music collective Wet Ink Ensemble releases its third studio album featuring the Wet Ink Large Ensemble on Carrier Records. The album features works composed by Wet Ink core members Alex Mincek, Sam Pluta, and Kate Soper.

The album is named for Kate Soper’s three-movement “Missing Scenes” composed in 2021.

Il trittico

C Major releases the Salzburg Festival’s production of Puccini’s triptych. The production stars Asmik Grigorian, Misha Kiria, Roman Burdenko, Joshua Guerrero, Karita Mattila, and Hanna Schwarz. Franz Welser-Möst conducts Christof Loy.

Boris Godunov

Opus Arte releases The Royal Opera’s production of Mussorgsky’s opera with soloists Bryn Terfel, John Graham-Hall, and John Tomlinson. Richard Jones directs the new production with Sir Antonio Pappano conducting.