Nothing hits you with greater force in Opéra de Rouen Normandie’s performance of La clemenza di Tito than the Overture. It is propelled by conductor Ben Glassberg with peppy, pacy energy as we charge into the gathering storm. But there is also at least half a wink as we do so.

That’s only right for an opera that is, on the surface, a grand royal drama scaffolded on to a venerable libretto by Metastasio – but which is almost brutally shorn of extraneous detail, and has an acid drop of cynicism in its treatment of human relationships. The balm lies in the tricky role of Titus himself, the tenor who barely has a showpiece but whose dignity must command all.

The recorded performances in Rouen emerged from the Covid era when opera was returning to stages without audiences. What’s lacking from this polished, effective recording is, perhaps, the very spark that a crowd would have supplied. The acoustic is a touch dry and favours the orchestra over the singers. The prominent, virtuoso contributions from basset clarinet and basset-horn, in Sesto’s aria ‘Parto, parto’ and Vitellia’s ‘Non più di fiori’ respectively, come perilously close to stealing the singers’ thunder.

As Sesto, a character who bounces hopelessly from his sister (Servilia) to his would-be lover (Vitellia) to his best friend (Tito), Anna Stéphany’s silvery mezzo has touching vulnerability and fine musicality. Her stage experience in the role carries through to the extended recitative at the close of Act 1, in which Sesto’s dilemma is expressed with affecting nuance (despite the over-intrusive fortepiano accompaniment). And yet, perhaps because her timbre is close in colour to the other mezzo-soprano, Antoinette Dennefeld’s equally dignified Annio, this Sesto could do with a rawer, more ‘masculine’ edge.

In a full production of Clemenza the most theatrical heat is usually generated by the plotting Vitellia. Simona aturová follows a more recent trend for making her a softer, more guileless protagonist. It adds a fresh spin to the drama but there are still moments when you long for this Vitellia to bare her teeth, and aturová’s weak low register robs ‘Non più di fiori’ of some of its impact.

It’s unlikely that Nicky Spence would take on the role of Tito today, as his voice is marching on to big heroes such as Siegmund. The Scottish tenor brings a beefy edge to Tito which helps to make the Emperor less of a stooge, but he doesn’t always sound totally comfortable with the idiom and his aspirated coloratura in ‘Se all’impero’ is unconvincing. As the ingénue Servilia, Chiara Skerath offers some of the most satisfying singing, blending sweetly with Dennefeld’s Annio in their duet. More from Glassberg and Rouen, please, even if this one doesn’t hit all its targets.