One of the world’s leading Wagnerians releases his debut solo recording on ABC Classics to coincide with his appearance at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden.

Stuart Skelton has long been acclaimed as one of the greatest heldentenors of his generation, receiving extraordinary reviews for his performances in some of opera’s most demanding roles. His incredible voice and outstanding musicianship have seen him perform all over the world, from the Sydney Opera House to New York’s Metropolitan Opera, and from the English National Opera to Milan’s legendary La Scala.

Shining Knight features arias from many of the roles that have become synonymous with Stuart Skelton - Parsifal, Lohengrin, Siegmund - as well as Lieder and songs from outside the operatic repertoire.

The disc begins with one of Wagner’s earliest works, Rienzi, and traces the composer’s development as he invents a new musical language in his Ring cycle, his great operas Parsifal and Tristan und Isolde, and then to the Wesendonck Lieder that foreshadows so much of his later work. Skelton then turns to America, and two composers from the generation inspired by Wagner: Charles Griffes and Samuel Barber.

Accompanied here by the West Australian Symphony Orchestra conducted by his friend and frequent collaborator Asher Fisch, Shining Knight showcases one of the world’s greatest voices at the very peak its powers.