Michael Spyres, whose flexible voice has seen him dubbed a ‘baritenor’, is nothing if not adventurous. As a prelude to his 2024 Bayreuth debut singing Walther von Stolzing in Die Meistersingers von Nürnberg, the American singer decided to investigate the music that inspired Wagner during his childhood in Leipzig and Dresden and on through the lean years in Paris. The result is In the Shadows, an eclectic blend of the familiar and the intriguingly obscure, stylishly accompanied by Christophe Rousset and Les Talens Lyriques.

The album opens, perhaps surprisingly with an aria by Méhul. It turns out Wagner himself referenced Joseph as a work that deepened his awareness of how music could propel drama. Champs paternels is a handsome aria with a dramatic second half which is tucked into with relish by Les Talens Lyriques’ period forces. Spyres despatches the notes with an easy elegance giving way to a compelling urgency.

Florestan’s Gott! Welch Dunkel hier puts us on a more obvious Wagnerian footing with Rousset finding...