This new recording of Prokofiev's commedia dell'arte phantasmagoria was taped live at the Sydney Opera House in February last year during a run of performances that marked the start of Richard Hickox's music directorship of Opera Australia. It is sung in Tom Stoppard's acerbic English translation, which is verbally more dexterous than the original Russian libretto, while Hickox's conducting emphasises the score's modernist elements without losing sight of its wonder, its magic or its wit.

Ensemble values are high among the cast, though the best singing comes from the thoroughly wicked-sounding trio of baddies: Teddy Tahu Rhodes (Leandro), Elizabeth Whitehouse (Fata Morgana) and Deborah Humble (Clarissa). It's all hugely entertaining, though some may find the considerable amounts of audience laughter and stage clatter too intrusive for comfort.