The Limelight Recording of the Month for March is an unearthed pastoral by the 18th-century Spanish composer José de Nebra. Venus y Adonis, an unusual and original take on the famous myth, has been brought to life by conductor (and countertenor, though not on this recording) Alberto Miguélez Rouco and his baroque orchestra Los Elementos. Nebra, who blended Spanish musical traditions with elements of Italian baroque, wrote over 90 stage works including 14 known as zarzuelas and around 20 operas. All of that makes him an excellent candidate for revival (and yes, you even get castanets). Clive Paget caught up with Rouco to learn more about 18th-century Spain and just why women hated the castrati so much.

You don’t hear much of Nebra outside of Spain. How did you come across his music?

The first time I heard Nebra was a recording by Maria Bayo and Al Ayre Español in the early 2000s. It was a selection of highlights from the zarzuelas. I sang one of the arias and was really touched by the music. So, we decided to do half of that zarzuela as a project in Basel, where I studied. The public reaction was really fantastic, and we...