This week audiences are in for a number of legendary recordings as well as two world premiere recordings. There are also some debut albums and some new works that are exciting.

Archetype 

Lexicon Classics releases the debut album by two-time Grammy Nominated baritone Stephen Powell. Titled “Archetype,” this orchestral album, mixed by 18-time Grammy®-Winning engineer Mark Donahue and produced by Jonathan Estabrooks, explores a range of standard operatic repertoire for the baritone voice.

Is a Rose 

Platoon releases an EP of Caroline Shaw’s “Is a Rose.” Oliver Zeffman leads the Philharmonia and soloists Nicky Spence, Davoné Tines, and Ella Taylor through Shaw’s three-part song cycle. Also included as a bonus track is a new arrangement of “Renaissance,” the theme to the second season of the HBO’s “The White Lotus.”

Brad Mehldau: The Folly of Desire

Grammy®-winning jazz pianist and composer Brad Mehldau makes his Pentatone debut with “The Folly of Desire,” a song cycle inquiring about the limits of sexual freedom in a post-#MeToo political age, together with tenor Ian Bostridge. The album sets poetry by Blake, Yeats, Shakespeare, Brecht, Goethe, Auden, and Cummings.

Władysław Żeleński: Janek (“Johnny”)

Naxos releases the world premiere recording of Żeleński’s opera with a cast that includes Małgorzata Grzegorzewicz-Rodek, Agnieszka Kuk, Łukasz Gaj, Paweł Trojak, and Dariusz Górski. The  Women’s Choir of The Henryk Wieniawski Philharmonic in Lublin, I Signori Men’s Vocal Ensemble, The Henryk Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra in Lublin, and Wojciech Rodek are also featured in the opera

Rigoletto

Gran Teatre del Liceu’s productions of Verdi’s masterpiece from a performance in 2017 is being released. The opera stars Javier Camarena, Carlos Álvarez, Désirée Rancatore, Ante Jerkunica, Ketevan Kemoklidze. Riccardo Frizza conducts the opera. C Major releases.

Francesco Cavalli: Il Xerse

Dynamic releases Cavalli’s work with Federico Maria Sardelli conducting a production by Leo Muscato. The world premiere on video recording features a new critical edition from the Festival Valle d’Itria. Countertenor Carlo Vistoli stars in the title role, along with soprano Carolina Lippo as Romilda and mezzo-soprano Gaia Petrone as Arsamene.

Parsifal

Profil releases Wagner’s work in a 1955 recording from the Bayreuth festival with Ramón Vinay, Martha Mödl, Ludwig Weber, Gustav Neidlinger, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, and Hermann Uhde. Hans Knappertsbusch conducts.

Carl Orff: Prometheus

Orfeo releases Carl Orff’s work which was composed in 1968 and was the last of Orff’s Greek trilogy. The recording stars Roland Hermann and Colette Lorand.  The Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Rafael Kubelik.