APRIL 2026 NEW ON NAXOS
Joachim RAFF (1822–1882) Dame Kobold Lara Rieken, Julia Surushkina, Sopranos Gustav Wenzel Most, Tenor Matthias Lika, Baritone Lukas Krimmel, Bass Choir of the Theatre of the City of Ústí nad Labem West Bohemian Symphony Orchestra Dario Salvi
Joachim Raff moved in circles that included Franz Liszt and Robert Schumann, and he ultimately became one of the best-known German composers of his day. Of Raff’s six stage works Dame Kobold (‘The Phantom Lady’) was the first of a series of comic operas that anticipated later trends, moving away from Wagnerian pathos and looking back to the levity of Rossini. Admired for its utterly gorgeous musical setting, the opera is notable for a disarmingly simple yet fast- paced plot, bewitching solos and elegantly flowing melodies, and a deftly responsive marriage of language and music. Key features: • This world premiere recording of Joachim Raff’s comic opera Dame Kobold is a significant coup and a highlight of our operatic recordings in 2026. Raff was a prolific composer and a leading figure in German music during the 19th century, but his operas were overshadowed by those of Wagner and his works are still being rediscovered today. • This recording joins our release in 2024 of Raff’s final opera Die Eifersüchtigen (8.660561-62), regarded as ‘a beautifully conceived look back at opera buffa from the late romantic era’ by MusicWeb International . • The compact but superb cast of Dame Kobold is led by baritone Matthias Lika (Don Juan), who was awarded First Prize in the concert category at the National Singing Competition in Berlin in December 2024, and soprano Lara Rieken (Donna Angela), winner of the National Singing Competition 2022, the 5th Vienna International Music Competition and the competition of the Fritz Wunderlich Society 2023.
8.660619-20
Playing time: 1:50:28 Release date: 10 Apr 2026
7 30099 06197 1
Click to listen to Ouvertüre LISTEN
Lara Rieken Donna Angela, Juan’s sister
Julia Surushkina Beatrice, Angela’s maid
Gustav Wenzel Most Don Manuel, friend of Juan
Matthias Lika Don Juan
Lukas Krimmel Rodrigo, Manuel’s servant
Choir of the Theatre of the City of Ústí nad Labem
West Bohemian Symphony Orchestra
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