Celine Byrne (soprano), RTÉ NSO/Marco Zambelli RTÉ lyric fm CD 128 ***

It fell to Scottish Opera to present Celine Byrne in her first major role in Ireland last June. Not everyone here is as neglectful of the Naas soprano, winner of the 2007 Maria Callas Grand Prix competition, as Irish opera companies have been. She’s been embraced by RTÉ, which has highlighted her in concerts (she’s fronting a Christmas Gala with the RTÉ NSO on December 10th). RTÉ has also released her first CD of popular 19th- and early 20th-century arias, mixed with a little zarzuela, the taste for which the singer picked up from working with José Carreras. The performances are typically generous in emotion and tone. The short, intense, verismo outpourings of Puccini seem to be Byrne’s métier – sincerity of feeling folded into full, rich tone. And she treats the zarzuela and the flights of Gounod’s

Jewel Song

in the same, full-on manner. See url.ie/57c6