A Hollywood titan who thrives on a challenge, Jodie Foster’s latest film sees her take on her first French-speaking lead role – with thrilling results.

Zémide*; Pygmalion** Ema Nikolovska, Virginie Thomas et al; A Nocte Temporis, Chœur de Chambre de Namur/ Reinoud Van Mechelen Château de Versailles Spectacles CVS174 80:10 mins Readers may be grateful

In 1976, the revolutionary singer-songwriter LAURA NYRO returned from self-imposed exile. But her comeback confounded expectations, shifting away from the impassioned intimacies of her early albums to embrace more radical perspectives. Fifty years on, Nyro’s collaborators revisit her striking second act. “She was a hip American from the Bronx,” one friend and producer tells Rob Hughes. “But her soul was old.”

EMMA MCINTYRE/GETTY/SCAD R arely in Hollywood does one ...

Works by Offenbach Véronique Gens (soprano); Chœur et Orchestre National des Pays de La Loire/Hervé Niquet Alpha Classics ALPHA1168 55:49 mins This is not for the po-faced. If you enjoy charming and i

Songs of Fate Anna Lucia Richter (mezzo-soprano), Gürzenich-Orchester Köln/Jordan de Souza Myrios Classics MYR036 55:28 mins The booklet accompanying this remarkable release begins with a short interv