Welcome back for this week’s look at the latest CD and DVD releases in the opera world.

It’s another week of many releases, including new complete opera recordings, solo albums, oratorios, and sacred works.

John Weldon: The Judgment of Paris

A long-lost masterpiece revived by Julian Perkins, Cambridge Handel Opera Company and Academy of Ancient Music

Academy of Ancient Music (AAM) and Cambridge Handel Opera Company (CHOC) release the world premiere recording of “The Judgment of Paris,” a 1701 composition by John Weldon.

In a statement, Julian Perkins, Artistic Director of Cambridge Handel Opera Company, said: “This recording is a labour of love, celebrating the ingenuity and dramatic flair of John Weldon’s setting of William Congreve’s libretto. We’ve aimed to capture the essence of the 1701 performances, bringing this remarkable music to life for contemporary audiences. This recording is a testament to the collaborative spirit and profound dedication of everyone involved.”

The recording brings together a cast featuring Thomas Walker, Jonathan Brown, Helen Charlston, Kitty Whately, Aksel Rykkvin, Anna Dennis and Anna Cavaliero. Julian Perkins directs the AAM Choir and Orchestra.

Shostakovich: Suite on Verses of Michelangelo, October

Alpha Classics’ new release will feature Matthias Goerne, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, and Mikko Franck in Shostakovich’s works for orchestra and baritone. The album features the Suite on “Verses of Michelangelo Buonarroti (1974)” and the symphonic poem October (1967).

Samsara: Schumann, Fauré

Alpha Classics releases Kate Lindsey’s fourth studio album alongside Éric Le Sage. The new album showcases the mezzo in two cycles, Schumann’s “Frauenliebe und Leben” and Fauré’s “La Chanson d’Ève.” The album also includes extracts from Schumann’s song cycle “Myrthen” and Fauré’s “Clair de lune” and “Chanson d’amour.”

Shostakovich: Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk District, Op. 29

Deutsche Grammophon releases the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Andris Nelsons’ recording of Shostakovich’s opera. The recording features Kristine Opolais, Brenden Gunnell, Peter Hoare, and Günther Groissböck.

Regarding teh performance of the work, which was held in 2024, OperaWire said, “Kristine Opolais & Andris Nelsons are a Dynamic Duo in Shostakovich’s Masterwork”

Puccini: Tosca

Deutsche Grammophon releases a new recording of Puccini’s masterpiece, which was the opening night of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia’s 2024-25 season featuring Daniel Harding’s debut appearance in his new role as the orchestra’s Musical Director. The cast was headlined by Jonathan Tetelman, Eleonora Buratto, and Ludovic Tézier.

Bluebeard’s Castle

The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra and its chief conductor Karina Canellakis continue their Bartók journey with the composer’s only opera, “Duke Bluebeard’s Castle.” The new PENTATONE recording features mezzo-soprano Rinat Shaham as Judith and bass-baritone Gábor Bretz as Bluebeard. Learn more here. ***

***Sponsored link by Pentatone

War and Peace

Notker Balbulus: Liber ymnorum

Naxos releases an album dedicated to Notker Balbulus, a renowned Benedictine monk at the Abbey of St. Gall in Switzerland who made substantial contributions to both the music and literature of his time. His “Liber ymnorum” is an important collection of early musical sequences that celebrate special moments in the liturgical calendar.

Another Look: Philip Glass, Andrea Basily

Music director Léo Warynski sees Philip Glass’s hour-long choral work “Another Look at Harmony – Part IV” in a kind of condensed sketch of “Einstein on the Beach.”

Georges Bizet: Djamileh, Vasco de Gama, Cantates, Musique Chorale, Mélodies & Musique pour piano

Bru Zane releases a new album with the Orchestre national de Lyon under Ben Glassberg, Le Concert de la Loge under Julien Chauvin, Les Siècles under François-Xavier Roth, the Orchestre national de Metz Grand Est under David Reiland, and the Flemish Radio Choir and Choeur de l’Opéra de Lille. The album features works by Georges Bizet.

Fauré: Masques et bergamasques

Naxos releases an album with music specialist Jean-Luc Tingaud conducting a selection of Fauré’s little-known secular choral and theatrical music. The album stars Tara Erraught, Julien Dran, and Benjamin Russell.

Vox Feminae

Alpha Classics releases Les Kapsber’girls’ new album. The group is a vocal and instrumental ensemble founded by lutenist Albane Imbs in 2015. The new album is devoted to works by Baroque women composers including Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677), Isabella Leonarda (1620-1704), Lucia Quinciani (1566-1611), Francesca Caccini (1587-1641), Antonia Bembo (c.1643-1715), and Francesca Campana (c.1615-c.1665).

Gasparini: Atalia

 Chateau de Versailles will release Gasparini’s “Atalia,” dating from 1692. It was the first oratorio inspired by a French play, Racine’s “Athalie,” which premiered a year earlier in 1691. The album stars Camille Poul, Bastien Rimondi, Mélodie Ruvio, and Furio Zanasi. The Ensemble Hemiolia will be conducted by Emmanuel Resche-Caserta.

George Frideric Handel: Brockes Passion

Naxos releases Handel’s Oratorio in two parts with Romelia Lichtenstein, Vanessa Waldhart, Yulia Sokolik, Robert Sellier, and Michael Zehe. The Chorus of Oper Halle, Händelfestspielorchester Halle, and Michael Hofstetter are also featured.

Mozart: Missa solemnis “Waisenhausmesse” in C minor, K. 139; Haydn: Missa in angustiis “Nelsonmesse” in D minor, Hob. XXII:11

Orfeo’s new album features masses by Haydn and Mozart with soloists Max Emanuel Cencic, Elena Moşuc, Arthur Trainacher, Annette Markert, Jozef Kundlák, Steve Davislim, Làszló Polgár, and Anton Scharinger. Michael Gielen conducts.

Can You Hear Me?

Composer Thomas Hewitt Johns releases his anthem for kindness, a piece written during the UK COVID lockdown in 2020. The work was recorded with the Choir of Royal Holloway, University of London and showcases the talents of soprano Laura Wright. It is available to stream on all available platforms.