Keiser: Croesus
Soloists
Academie fur Alte Musik Berlin
René Jacobs
This was a really interesting work. Keiser was largely based in Hamburg and had an extensive career both as an opera composer and as a composer of sacred music. This opera was originally written in 1711 but substantially revised in 1730 and this recording is of that latter versions. Stylistically the opera clearly belongs to the same world as Handel but it doesn’t follow the typical Handelian pattern of a series of Da Capo arias with the occasional duet or ensemble. Instead it is much freer in form with a variety of aria types - long and short - and a good mixture of ensembles. The orchestral forces are larger than in the typical Handel opera and there are many attractive instrumental moments scattered throughout the work. At times I was reminded a little of Vivaldi in some of the orchestral writing.
None of this would matter if the music itself wasn’t worth listening to, but this was a score of the highest quality. It is a long peice but it held my interest throughout. Keiser was highly regarded in his day but until very recently his operatic music has fallen into near complete oblivion. On the evidence of this opera that certainly is to be regretted. But it has only been in the last generation that we have started to really appreciate the richness of Baroque opera and perhaps Keiser’s time will come. I hope so.
