The magnetic Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva has released her fifth solo album, this time under her own newly established label, SY11 Productions.

Partnered by Orchestra dell’Opera Carlo Felice Genova led by Marco Armiliato, The Courtesans is an unabashed showcase for the superstar, whose glamorous voice is captured at its most refulgent and full-bodied. That Yoncheva was an early music specialist, one of the most promising of William Christie’s stable of young singers, is almost hard to believe, her tone is so full-fat and almost throwback in its mega-wattage nowadays. 

The selections on this recording won’t surprise anyone – Violetta, Thaïs, Manon, Mimì, and Butterfly all jostle for attention – yet it’s a thrill to hear Yoncheva lay down her own interpretations of these roles, many of which she’s performed to acclaim onstage.

Take her Violetta as an example. It’s always been beautifully sung and affecting, but the specificity she brings to bear on the duet Parigi, O Cara (with a very handsome sounding Charles Castronovo) is nothing short of heart-rending. She’s not taking the fragile,...