At first glance the title ‘Friends and Rivals’ seems to allude to the two tenors, Lawrence Brownlee and Michael Spyres, but – although friendly rivals on the operatic circuit – this excellent album is largely built around the repertoire Rossini composed for the remarkable tenors Andrea Nozzari and Giovanni David.

While later in the 19th century it would be inconceivable for composers to cast two tenors in leading roles in the same opera, Rossini would happily cast three. Indeed, Armida boasts six tenor roles (although at the 1817 premiere they were shared between four singers). Both Nozzari and David were in Domenico Barbaia’s ensemble in Naples, where they sang together in five Rossini premieres, three of them represented here.

Brownlee and Spyres follow in the distinguished footsteps of American Rossini tenors such as Bruce Ford, Chris Merritt, Rockwell Blake and Gregory Kunde. Their voices contrast very well. Brownlee’s tenor fits the Giovanni David mould, light and flexible with glistening brilliance in his upper register. Spyres, with his darker, baritonal tenor, suits the Nozzari roles, powerful and weighty, but with top notes that can really zing (I’ll never forget the E natural he suddenly pinged out in a concert performance of Donizetti’s Les martyrs). In fencing terms, Brownlee is the foil to Spyres’s épée. They spar thrillingly in the Otello-Rodrigo duet (Otello) and as the Christian knight Ricciardo feigning friendship with King Agorante (Ricciardo e Zoraide). In Le siège de Corinthe (Rossini’s French rewrite of Maometto II), Spyres sings Cléomène, switching from Néocles in the complete opera for Naxos, allowing Brownlee the only aria proper on the album, a fervent ‘Grand Dieu, faut-il qu’un peuple’.

But there’s a third tenor here. In keeping Spyres and Brownlee in the Nozzari and David roles, an Iago is required and Xabier Anduaga joins Spyres’s Moor in a terrific vengeance duet and all three close the album with the crazy pyrotechnic display in the trio from Armida, each seeming to spur the others on to even higher notes. It’s completely nuts, but of the tasty Rossinian variety.

Tenor rivalry is usually over a prima donna and Irish mezzo Tara Erraught steps into Isabella Colbran’s shoes rather wonderfully as Desdemona (Otello), Pamyra (Le siège de Corinthe) and a warm-voiced Elena (La donna del lago) in duet with Brownlee before Spyres joins them for another bonkers trio.

It might have been an idea to place the one opera buffa duet at the end rather than as the opening track – especially when it’s (a) such a cracker and (b) throws in a big surprise. Forget Nozzari and David, we turn here to tenore di grazia Manuel García and Il barbiere di Siviglia. But Barbiere only has one tenor role, surely? Well, Spyres demonstrates his true baritenor range by taking on – convincingly – the role of Figaro to Brownlee’s Almaviva for their duet where the barber, fuelled by the prospect of a few gold coins, comes up with his scheme to gain the Count access to Rosina. Both singers have huge fun – you can almost see them grinning through the speakers.

With I Virtuosi Italiani offering sterling support under Corrado Rovaris, this is a must-have disc for discerning fans of vocal fireworks.