Monsigny's brilliant opéra-comique Le Déserteur, was an immediate and lasting success for its melodic charms and musical variety, its blend of comedy with moments of great sentiment and pathos, and its intellectual radicalism prefiguring the humanitarian ideas of the 19th century Romantics.

This recording features only the musical items from this forerunner of the ‘rescue’ opera, in which the heroine Louise extricates her fiancé Alexis from prison and a death sentence.

Cast:
- Alexis: William Sharp (baritone)
- Louise: Dominique Labelle (soprano)
- Jeannette: Ann Monoyios (soprano)
- Montauciel / Second: David Newman (baritone)
- Jean-Louis: Eugene Galvin (bass-baritone)
- Bertrand / First Guard: Tony Boutté (tenor)
- Courchemin: Darren Perry (baritone)