Another one for the Xmas stocking

Finally, more than 100 years after its premiere, Humperdinck's Königskinder is available on DVD. Or to be totally accurate, Blu-ray. If that in itself isn't enough to sell it, then there's Jonas Kaufmann in the meaty role of the King's Son. 

Jens-Daniel Herzog's production for Zurich Opera updates the setting without losing sight of the story, or its fairytale aspect. It's conducted by Ingo Metzmacher, and also features Isabel Rey as a delightful Goose-Girl and the gritty-toned Oliver Widmer as the Fiddler.

Amazon have it for £15.40.

The busy Metzmacher also conducted a recent audio recording. Some mystery of the classical music biz makes this pricier than the DVD. However the casting - including Klaus Florian Vogt, Juliane Banse and Christian Gerhaher - debatably suits the demands of the work better. Both recordings knock spots off earlier versions.