This is a well chosen selection of tenor arias with a few comparative rarities to offset the more obvious favourites. In its way it is a mini-history of a century of Italian opera, from Donizetti’s Poliuto (1838) to Pietri’s Maristella (1934). The Donizetti is the longest item and well though Villazón copes with this, I really cannot imagine him in this part, beloved of tenore di forza of the past including Tamagno and Corelli. In fact he has not sung any of these roles on stage yet; in a note he explains that the repertory here is something “with more spontaneity…without the burden of history”. Be that as it may, the parts for which he would seem to be destined are Gabriele Adorno in Simon Boccanegra, Rodolfo in Luisa Miller and Viscardo in Il giuramento. Mercadante’s opera is based on the same Victor Hugo play as Ponchielli’s La Gioconda, so it is a good idea to contrast these two very different interpretations of the same character.

The little romanza from Pietri’s opera is the only piece by him that we ever get to hear. It was a favourite with Gigli, and several other tenors have recorded it: I wonder what else there may be among Pietri’s 20 or so other works for the stage. The aria from Brazilian composer Carlos Gomes’s 1873 opera Fosca is a high-voltage outpouring of emotion, as is the aria for Azael in Ponchielli’s Il figliuol prodigo.

Villazón sings them all with admirable intensity, his diction is excellent, and he can float a pianissimo when necessary, as in the opening “Cielo e mar” from La Gioconda that gives the disc its title. Recording quality is first-rate, and the accompaniment provided by the Giuseppe Verdi orchestra under Daniele Callegari is always sympathetic. The aria from Boccanegra is one of the best things Villazón has done so far on disc. Let’s hope he gets to sing the whole part soon.