Anita Rachvelishvili had the sort of remarkable big break of which young singers can only dream. Aged 25, a member of the La Scala Academy, she auditioned for the role of Mercédès, impressed Daniel Barenboim enough to offer her the cover as Carmen, then ended up taking on the title-role for Milan’s prestigious season-opener. It’s become a signature role for her around the world ever since and two of her arias – the Seguidilla and the Habanera – naturally feature on her debut recording. The Georgian has also been adding other powerhouse mezzo roles to her repertoire and several strong characters make up this feisty portrait disc.

Rachvelishvili’s Carmen is not always the most subtle interpretation. Despite an attempt to lighten her voluptuous mezzo in ‘Près des remparts de Séville’, her gypsy comes across as rather forbidding, someone not to be messed with. There’s more seduction to the Habanera. Her Dalila is a temptress, especially the way she can float her high notes, but that formidable chest register needs taming. Among recent roles, Rachvelishvili’s Azucena (Il trovatore) is superb. Surprisingly, there’s no ‘Stride la vampa’ here, but a searching account of the harrowing narration as the gypsy recounts how her attempt to avenge her mother ended with her throwing her own baby into the flames.

It’s good to have some unusual repertoire included. Lyubasha’s unaccompanied aria from The Tsar’s Bride is tenderly sung, and the beautiful cavatina from Dimitri Arakishvili’s The Legend of Shota Rustaveli is a lovely nod to her native Georgia.

Among future roles, her Eboli could be very exciting. She slips and slides around some of the Veil Song’s ornamentation – where many mezzos come a cropper – but she blazes gloriously through ‘O don fatale’, which closes the disc. I can’t wait to hear her sing this on stage. Giacomo Sagripanti and the RAI Orchestra are sympathetic accompanists.