Mark Elder leads the orchestra and chorus in a lavish performance . . . She certainly has the temperament to play Adriana, who can present herself as humble and sweet but, in a scene where she takes the stage, is nothing if not intense . . . this recording provides a reminder of how secure and uniquely attractive her singing can be. Her soprano glides effortlessly, its top still silvery, over the oft-excerpted arias "Io son l'umile ancella" and "Poveri fiori." There's a real core even in much of her soft singing, and the recording flatters her lower register. As Maurizio, Jonas Kaufmann has the ideal chiaroscuro sound to portray both poet and warrior. It's great to hear his robust tenor at full force . . . Olga Borodina makes for an imperious princess . . . Alessandro Corbelli employs luster and dignity.

El estreno de Billy Budd de Benjamin Britten en Madrid marca, sin duda alguna, uno de los grandes acontecimientos del Bicentenario del Teatro Real. Su magnífico libreto basado en la obra homónima de Herman Melville, narra la historia del marinero Billy Budd: un joven bello, leal, generoso, fuerte, ingenuo y bondadoso que logra desquiciar con su belleza y personalidad al maestro de armas del navío, quien es incapaz de canalizar la situación, y crucifica al ingenuo sin miramientos. Esta nueva producción del Teatro Real se presenta por primera vez en Madrid, en coproducción con la Opéra national de Paris, de la mano de Deborah Warner, uno de los grandes nombres de la dirección escénica actual.