Keiser: Croesus [Box set]

Reinhard who? You may well ask. The passing years haven't been too kind to the man who, in his obituary (he died in 1739), was described as "the greatest opera composer in the world". And he was up against the likes of Handel, so the competition wasn't exactly soft. Unlucky for him, his music went out of fashion the moment he died, and then the prudes of the 19th century dismissed him on the basis of alleged dubious morality. So most of his operas (he composed more than 60) have been lost. Enter René Jacobs, knight in shining armour with a zeal for righting musical injustices. And we are certainly in his debt for this: Croesus is a masterly work. Admittedly you won't find the sublime arias with which Handel liked to adorn his operas but it's a good story (all the riches and glory in the world won't necessarily make you happy) which contains all the ingredients--heroic drama, star-crossed lovers and comedy--for a great night at the theatre. It also avoids the stop-go feeling of some baroque opera, precisely because it's not held up by long, eloquent arias in the Handelian mould. The singers and instrumentalists are, without exception, excellent, particularly Roman Trekel in the title role, the wonderful Dorothea Röschmann as Elmira (who loves Croesus's son, Atis) and Werner Güra in the role of Atis. It's no accident that this recording was made shortly after performing the work live--it really fizzes. If you like baroque opera in any shape or form then give this a go. Three discs for the price of two and an exemplary booklet containing texts, translations and an all-important synopsis. --Harriet Smith