Alfie Boe - Love was a Dream - The Scotsman

It's good to see the orchestra of Scottish Opera take a rare dip into the world of recordings. In this instance, it's with the popular operatic tenor Alfie Boe and the light - though not lightweight - operetta repertoire of Franz Lehár.

The arias are as much from well-known works, including The Merry Widow and The Land of Smiles, as from rarer ones such as Paganini and Frederica.

Lovers of Lehár's gooey music will not be disappointed - especially in perennial favourites Vilia and Love unspoken - by Boe's silvery performances and by the orchestra's sympathetic support under conductor Michael Rosewell. It would make an ideal stocking filler for lovers of light opera.