As a glance above shows, this is a formidable undertaking for any young singer whether in respect of vocal resources, style or characterisation. Such recitals are the counter- part of an artist’s portfolio. He is, of course, performing for the pleasure of his listeners, but is also himself on display and up for assessment. This well-chosen recital offers samples: here is the singer as comedian, here he is on his dignity; in this you hear the lower range of his voice, in that the upper; here he intimately divulges, there he declaims with dramatic force. The whole provides opportunities for all of that, each item capping the last with a new revelation – the most powerful of all left to the end.

Thus Leporello’s Catalogue song in Don Giovanni illustrates the character-actor using the voice for verbal communication, while Prince Gremin’s aria, which rather unexpectedly follows, spotlights the artist as singer, using his voice in long, flowing phrases like a singing cellist. Two versions of Dr Bartolo are paired, and we realise the grave Gremin has also a command of nimble patter. Then come two devils, Gounod’s and Boito’s, the one an elegant Frenchman with the traditional French bass’s lightened timbre, the other a heavyweight Italian exhibitionist. If that was heavy, Papageno (who follows) is light. Similarly, Falstaff is light-hearted where the Dutchman is heavy. Both of the last solos are material for a fully mature artist but, having shown his credentials, Lemalu has prepared us to accept him in these: and we do.

In sum, his performances are impressive, but with some notes and queries. In spite of the success of his Verdi and Wagner, I would think that his voice still needs some additional body to match up to such roles in a large theatre. His singing of the the Tchaikovsky aria reaches out to a true legato but doesn’t quite make it. And on certain vowels (‘ah’, ‘eh’) the production tends to turn inwards in a way that puts me in mind of Geraint Evans. Interesting, however; and well accompanied and recorded.