Argentinian countertenor Franco Fagioli has always been a live wire. A glimpse at any of his richly compelling stage performances – try Vinci’s fascinating Artaserse – should convince you that here is an artist prepared to take risks in the pursuit of something invariably rich and occasionally strange.

A previous recitals of arias for the great Caffarelli and a disc of Porpora were on the Naïve label (now seemingly defunct) and won raves, not least from Limelight. This Rossini recital is his solo debut on Deutsche Grammophon and has all the hallmarks of a Fagioli classic.

The first to study countertenor in his native Argentina, Fagioli apparently started out singing bel canto rather than Baroque, so this is a homecoming of sorts, but there’s not a castrato aria in sight, let alone a Bel raggio lusinghier or a Di tanti palpiti. Instead, the singer has gone out on a limb to intrigue and entertain with a selection of arias for male characters that were written for, and usually sung by, women.

Choices range from the unusual (the less famous arias from Tancredi and Semiramide) to the downright obscure (who knows Eduardo e Cristina?). Each one, however, proves a...