By Francisco SalazarWelcome back as we explore the latest CD and DVD releases from around the opera world.
Nabucco
C major Entertainment releases Arena di Verona’s production of “Nabucco” by Stefano Poda. The production which opened in 2025 stars Anna Netrebko, Amartuvshin Enkhbat, Galeano Salas, Christian Van Horn, and Francesca Di Sauro. Pinchas Steinberg conducts.
Mujer Fatal
Decca Classics releases “Mujer Fatal,” the new album from mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina, recorded with conductor Antonio Pappano at the piano. The album features works by Bizet, Ravel, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Britten, Weill, Bernstein and Gershwin, alongside the title track “Mujer Fatal,” a new work written especially for Akhmetshina and recorded here for the first time.
In a statement the mezzo said, “I had an idea for this album from the beginning, but in reality it came together slowly, like a puzzle, with each piece appearing along the way and the concept constantly evolving throughout the journey….It began with a new piece written for me by composer Elena Roussanova with lyrics by Sheila del Bosque Fuentes, Mujer Fatal, a collaboration that grew out of my long journey with Carmen. Carmen has been one of the strongest artistic presences in my life over the past ten years, in many ways a true embodiment of the idea of the ‘femme fatale.’ Through her, I began to explore this world of passion, freedom, and contradiction, which later became the foundation of this album.”
DANCING TREE: CHORAL LANDSCAPES
DANCING TREE presents the St. Charles Singers, conducted by Jeff Hunt, in a program ranging from early 20th-century masterworks to contemporary pieces. Navona records releases the album.
Händel’s “Giulio Cesare in Egitto”
C major Entertainment releases Händel’s masterwork from the Salzburg Festival in a production by Dmitri Tcherniakov that premiered in 2025. The cast includes Christophe Dumaux, Olga Kulchynska, Lucile Richardot, Federico Fiorio, Yuriy Mynenko, and Andrei Zhilikhovsky. Emmanuelle Haïm conducts Le Concert d’Astrée.
The Central Park Five
Long Beach Opera (LBO) releases its debut commercial recording of Anthony Davis and Richard Wesley’s “The Central Park Five” on Platoon.
Sung in English, the recording features by Cedric Berry (Yusef Salaam), William Powell III (Antron McCray), Bernard Holcomb (Kevin Richardson), Orson Van Gay II (Raymond Santana), Ashley Faatoalia (Korey Wise), Justin Ryan (The Masque), Lacey Jo Benter (District Attorney), Todd Strange (Donald Trump), Joelle Lamarre (Ensemble / “Antron’s Mother” / “Kevin’s Mother” / Others), Lindsay Patterson Abdou (Sharonne Salaam / Others), Corey Estelle (Ensemble), José Luis Maldonado (Ensemble / Raymond’s Father / Matias Reyes), conducted by Anthony Parnther.
“Opera is a powerful platform for the defining stories of our time. ‘The Central Park Five’ tells a consequential American story with extraordinary artistry and urgent contemporary resonance,” says Michelle Magaldi, CEO of LBO. “With this recording, Anthony Davis and Richard Wesley’s landmark work, realized by our creative collaborators and performers, will continue to educate, provoke and confront new audiences.
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay
The Metropolitan Opera releases Mason Bates and Gene Scheer’s opera, which opened the 2025-26 season and starred Andrzej Filończyk, Miles Mykkanen, Sun-Ly Pierce, and Edward Nelson. Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts the new recording which will be exclusive on digital.
In Plain Sight: The Black Anthology
The University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music expands its discography with the release of “IN PLAIN SIGHT: The Black Anthology” on Lexicon Classics. Featuring young students from all studios of Eastman’s Voice, Opera, and Vocal Coaching department, together with three stars of the school’s distinguished faculty, Joshua Conyers, Nicole Cabell, and Kiera Duffy, the new double album showcases selections from the Anthology of Art Songs by Black American Composers, shining a light on one of the nation’s richest but most overlooked musical traditions. The album was produced by Jonathan Estabrooks and engineered for Stereo and ATMOS Audio by Grammy winner and University of Rochester faculty member Stephen Roessner.
Der Wildschütz
To mark the double Albert Lortzing anniversary in 2026, Deutsche Grammophon is making a historic opera highlight recording “Der Wildschütz.” This recording features Rita Streich, Irmgard Seefried, Claudia Hellmann, and Ernst Haefliger.
Aribert Reimann: Ein Traumspiel, Denn Bleiben ist nirgends
Franziska Rabl, Karsten Jesgarz, James Tolksdorf, and Marek Reichert star in Reiman’s works with the Opernchor Theater Hof and Hofer Symphoniker, Walter E. Gugerbauer, Martin Engler, Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin and Manuel Nawri.
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Facts Only
* C major Entertainment released Arena di Verona’s production of “Nabucco” by Stefano Poda.
* Decca Classics released an album from mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina, featuring works by Bizet, Ravel, Tchaikovsky, Rimsky-Korsakov, Britten, Weill, Bernstein, and Gershwin.
* Long Beach Opera released the commercial recording of Anthony Davis and Richard Wesley’s “The Central Park Five.”
* The Metropolitan Opera released Mason Bates and Gene Scheer’s opera.
* Deutsche Grammophon is releasing a highlight recording of “Der Wildschütz.”
* The University of Rochester’s Eastman School of Music released “IN PLAIN SIGHT: The Black Anthology” on Lexicon Classics.