The latest releases reviewed

DENYCE GRAVES: FRENCH OPERA ARIAS Orchestre Philhamonique de Monte Carlo. Conductor: Marc Soustrot Virgin Classics ****

As with basses in the male repertoire, fine contraltos are a minority among female singers. This is a pity, as not only is the contralto voice moving and memorable in itself, but there are many wonderful arias written for it that have had limited exposure as a result of the scarcity of singers. On both these counts this disc is welcome, as Denyce Graves's voice comes across here in all its richness and warmth singing an enchanting cross-section of great contralto arias from French opera. From the familiar (Saint Saens's Mon couer s'ouvre from Samson et Dalila) to the less well known (O ma lyre immortelle from Sapho, by Guonod), there is a feast of fine singing on this disc. www.virginclassics.com Colman Morrissey