Bru Zane

An admirable effort to reconstruct the original version of a once popular work which veers between the highly entertaining and the banal [RMo]

A version with a baritone title role, much more than a curiosity [RWe]

I will return to this recording with pleasure when I am in baritone mood [GF]

The first-ever Faust opera based on Goethe – and from a feminine perspective [PCG]

A long-lost operatic curiosity. Well-performed but recorded harshly, with no sense of stage atmosphere [MP]

A compact survey of favourites and unknowns beautifully presented and adroitly performed [JW]

Far from ideal, but on balance the best of the French versions and its appeal is enhanced by excellent sound and conducting [RMo]

This splendid recording reveals Franck’s opera to be a work of power and beauty [SB]

Rousset and his team breathe new life into what is now the top choice recording for Spontini’s greatest opera [MP]

A sumptuous box celebrates neglected women composers of the French Romantic era [JW]

A fascinating glimpse into the world of late 19th century Paris, best consumed in small quantities [DJB]

This first studio recording of Cherubini’s Les Abencérages is especially valuable [MC]