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

This week audiences will experience numerous debut albums, a few complete operas, and some special choral works. Here is a look at the new releases.

Orfeo ed Euridice

Erato releases Jakub Józef Orliński’s interpretation of Gluck’s masterpiece. Recorded in Orliński’s native city, Warsaw, this recording was conducted by Stefan Plewniak with Il Giardino d’Amore, featuring an all-star cast with Elsa Dreisig as Euridice and Fatma Said as Amore.

Solitude

Soprano Katharina Konradi embarks on a musical journey to explore solitude and is joined by the Cosmos Quartet from Barcelona. The album features the works of Robert and Clara Schumann, Franz Schubert, and Hugo Wolf, as well as folk songs and French chansons.

Terra Nostra

Cedille Records celebrates Earth Day with the release of Stacy Garrop’s environmentally themed oratorio “Terra Nostra.” Commissioned by the San Francisco Choral Society and the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir for premiere performances in 2015, the work has since been heard most frequently in the Chicago area

Garrop is a Cedille Records artist, and the new album marks the label’s 13th recording to feature her music. The new album, recorded Feb. 6 & 8, 2023, at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall (Evanston, IL), was produced and engineered by Cedille’s Grammy Award-winning team of James Ginsburg and Bill Maylone.

Fear No More 

Brindley Sherratt releases his first solo song recital album, “Fear No More” on Delphian. The record features a collection of works that reflect a varied and profound musical journey, and showcase some of the pieces he loves the most.

Pianist Julius Drake joins the singer in songs by Schubert, Mussorgsky, and Richard Strauss.

Rose in Bloom

Erin Morley releases her debut album accompanied by pianist Gerald Martin Moore. The album includes music by Camille Saint-Saëns, Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Alban Berg, Ricky Ian Gordon, Darius Milhaud, Sergei Rachmaninov, Alexander Zemlinsky, Johannes Brahms, Michael Head, Arthur Sullivan, and Ivor Novello.

Orchid Classics Label releases the album which OperaWire raved about and said, “Erin Morley, in short, commands a beautifully ductile instrument which enthusiasts will be glad to find immortalized on CD. ”

The Hours

Erato releases the CD of Kevin Puts’ “The Hours” from the Metropolitan Opera. The album stars Joyce DiDonato, Renée Fleming and Kelli O’Hara. Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts.

The opera premiered at the Met, OperaWire said, “Joyce DiDonato, Kyle Ketelsen, Kai Edgar Shines Amidst Kevin Puts’ Gorgeous Musical Tapestry.”

La Favorite

Naxos releases Donizetti’s “La Favorite” from the Teatro Donizetti. The opera stars Annalisa Stroppa, Javier Camarena, Florian Sempey, and Evgeny Stavinsky. Riccardo Frizza conducts. Previously released on DVD, this acclaimed production won the Abbiati Prize for “Best Production of the Year 2022.”

Franz Schmidt: Fredigundis

Orfeo releases the 1979 live recording of Schmidt’s work featuring Dunja Vejzovic, Martin Egel, Werner Hollweg, and Reid Bunger. The ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Ernst Märzendorfer.

The recording is the first release of the rarely performed opera.

Doux Silence

ALPHA releases a new album featuring Julie Roset and Lucile Richardot. Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien is conducted by François Lazarevitch.

In a statement, Lazarevitch said, “The air de cour has been with me for almost as long as I’ve been playing the flute. … For me, it is one of the finest creations of French art. … I am particularly interested in combining the qualities of sound and breathiness of the voice and the flute.”

The Dream of Gerontius

Nicky Spence, Andrew Foster-Williams, and Anna Stéphany are featured on Elgar’s choral masterwork. The Gabrieli Consort and Players are conducted by Paul McCreesh.

Himmelfahrt: Bach, Telemann

The Freiburger Barockorchester and Vox Luminis are conducted by Lionel Meunier in a new album from ALPHA.

The album features two of Bach’s Ascension Day cantatas and Telemann’s Ascension Day cantata “Ich fahre auf zu meinem Vater.”