At time of writing, Mauritian-Australian soprano Stacey Alleaume is lighting up the stage as Violetta Valery in Opera Australia’s production of La Traviata on Sydney Harbour. An anointing like no other, it’s the latest in a string of career milestones the winning artist has experienced both in Australia and abroad. Now here comes her debut album, a charming collection of art song both beloved and less known. Eloquently partnered by Australian pianist Amir Farid, Moonlight Reflections is a showcase of Alleaume’s of lyric instrument and her developing artistry.

Stacey Alleaume

Especially appealing are her interpretations of French song. The restrained romanticism of Duparc’s L’Invitation au voyage sees Alleaume suffuse her phrasing with the lush calm that Baudelaire describes, while L’Énamourée is full of nostalgia and longing. Equally attractive are her renditions of Massenet’s Être aimé and Amoureuse, hynoptic and intense. My only reservation here is Alleaume’s interpretation of Hahn’s À Chloris – though beautifully sung, it seems not yet fully realised. Farid plays idiomatically throughout but seems to have a special affinity for French repertoire – his presence is an unabating pleasure.

The soprano also shines in a pair of Puccini songs,...