It is good to welcome Maria Agresta as an authentically Italian Madam Butterfly, and Malin Byström’s voice records well in La fanciulla del West, where she and Kaufmann make a splendid coupling in the heartfelt first meeting between Minnie, the “girl of the golden West”, and an outlaw on the run...None, though, match Anna Netrebko for no-holds-barred passion in Manon Lescaut.

A studio recording allows him to find his best form. Some upper notes strain a little, but his lyricism and musical intelligence are intact...He remains a serious advocate. This will delight fans. As a showcase for Puccini’s range and emotional intensity, it’s a good place to start.

Sensitive to every inflexion in the texts, Kaufmann’s voice is steady and always dramatically engaged, though it’s often an easier voice to enjoy when he’s lowering the decibels and not navigating the upward plunge into his top range...Asmik Grigorian and Maria Agresta prove particularly characterful in Il tabarro and Madama Butterfly.

His easy star power enlivens Cavaradossi’s suavity and Dick Johnson’s rugged, weary machismo...Best of all: Asmik Grigorian’s haunted Giorgetta, in an excerpt from Il Tabarro, which draws a fatalistic ardor out of Kaufmann that might surprise listeners. No trepidation required.