“one is reminded of the dramatic texture that Verdi’s tenor roles acquired in his later works, and how well Castronovo has mastered singing French (and, later in the album, Italian). Less-textured arias and scenes that follow, though, are full of worthy music… the Kaunas City package – including the particularly good bass Tadas Girininkas in the Luisa Miller Act 2 excerpt – has the engaged conductor Constantine Orbelian, who is best when Verdi’s orchestral accompaniments give him more to do. But the main challenge with early Verdi – heard less often from Orbelian – is finding the purposes behind the young composer putting his own stamp on received operatic wisdom.”
—David Patrick Stearns, Gramophone