This is not a disc to be listened to all at once. Subtitled “The Age of the Diva”, it is an exploration of (mostly) high-voltage emotion. Fleming links each aria with some famous singer of the past, not in order to imitate them but to place each scene within its historic context from the performer’s point of view.

She begins with “Poveri fiori” from Adriana Lecouvreur and invests the words with a good deal of force. This is by far the best of the three Italian items: “Tacea la notte” from Il trovatore, although with some nice diminuendi, is slightly effortful, while Tosca’s “Vissi d’arte” is overdone, with little sobs. Moving to France, the scene from Cléopâtre has one of those gorgeous Massenet tunes that one longs to catch hold of before it evaporates. The waltz-song from Gounod’s Mireille doesn’t quite come off, even though it provides a few minutes’ respite from all the angst.

Fleming has long been admired in German and Czech roles, and the selections here all find her in good form. Jenufa is the only part represented that she has so far sung on stage and it shows, for her involvement in the tragedy is less exterior, and so that bit more convincing. Milada’s vigorous aria from Smetana’s Dalibor makes a fine contrast. The rarest is the song from Rimsky-Korsakov’s Servilia, an elegant melody that then doesn’t seem to go anywhere. The extract from Strauss’s Die Liebe der Danae begins with the orchestral interlude, before Danae is found awaiting Jupiter in the donkey-driver’s hut. Having recently recorded both Daphne and Capriccio, it only seems natural that Fleming should now add Danae. It suits her vocal style perfectly. Best of all, though, are the two Korngold arias, the outpouring of passion from Das Wunder der Heliane and the quietly nostalgic song from Die Kathrin.

Gergiev indulges Fleming rather often, especially at the end of “Vissi d’arte” where the climactic note is held far too long for the shape of the music. The voice is always unmistakable, the commitment 100 per cent.