Soloists: Elizabeth Futral, Kim Josephson, Nathan Gunn. Houston Grand Opera Orchestra. Conductor: Patrick Summers Deutsche Gramomophon 477 9351***

André Previn has written a number of operas in recent years, to mixed reviews and popular acceptance. Brief Encounter, David Lean’s classic 1945 film about an illicit and sublimated love affair between two middle-aged married people, has proved an ideal vehicle for him, and this is his most approachable operatic score to date.

The libretto departs in a number of ways from the screenplay, allowing the composer to write music appropriate for the confused stiff upper-lip romanticism and sexual repression of the hopeless protagonists. The score, as well, illuminates the inner turmoil of the characters hidden behind the mores of the period in a more intimate way than Lean's film. deutsche grammophon.com/previn-briefencounter