Much ink has been spilt over the performability of Schubert’s operas, but there’s more than enough to admire in Alfonso und Estrella: Schubert seems incapable of writing a duff melody, and at its best the instrumentation is exquisite. Furthermore, it’s hard to imagine a stronger cast than is assembled here – Fischer-Dieskau and Prey are especially memorable – and Suitner has the measure of Schubert’s preternatural lyricism.

-- William Humphreys-Jones, BBC Music Magazine