There’s a lot to admire here from Diana Damrau, not least her decision on this Donizetti album to opt for three hefty scenes rather than to present a frothy bel canto showcase. With expert support from Antonio Pappano and his Rome orchestra plus chorus and other soloists, she offers us the scenes that bring each of the composer’s Tudor trilogy to a close, as, respectively, Anne Boleyn, Mary Stuart and Elizabeth I give in to the historical (or semi-historical) forces that grind irresistibly on, often left abandoned by men amorous, treacherous or both.

In the theatre these moments can be immensely powerful, with the protagonists’ fates emphasised by the way Donizetti’s music – and with it the apparent certainty of the bel canto aesthetic – seems to disintegrate around them. On disc, they perhaps represent even more of a challenge and in many ways Damrau is up to that challenge: here’s an experienced singer with a reliable technique, a good sense for the style and a strong dramatic instinct.

Pappano backs her to the hilt: he and his players offer a superbly atmospheric introduction to the Maria Stuarda scene, for example, and the way he digs into the accompaniment to underline Damrau’s forceful resolution at ‘coppia iniquia, l’estrema vendetta’ in the Anna Bolena scene is brilliantly engaging. The soprano is moving, too, after arresting calls of ‘Roberto!’, at the end of Maria Stuarda (track 14) and is impressively fearsome in the final minutes of Roberto Devereux.

The voice itself, though, is not without issues, with a hardness and lack of limpidity that is only emphasised by what’s sometimes a rather pronounced vibrato. There are moments where something more ingratiating is required, and the Maria Stuarda Preghiera (track 10) suffers especially, with the floated G (from 1'58") sounding worryingly unsteady.

There’s less to worry about when Damrau is railing against iniquity and doling out vendettas – which happens a fair amount here. At those moments, the voice’s steely strength, and the artistry of its possessor, come into their own.