The examination of neglected Baroque operas has produced some rare discoveries, and this forgotten masterpiece by a predecessor of Handel is a fine example.
Steffani was a priest and diplomat in various courts in Germany, and this work was premiered in Munich in 1688.
The libretto, based on a passage from Ovid's Metamorphoses, is typical Baroque, with insults to the gods, suicide, and the grief-stricken turned to stone.
The music is excellent, and the work is creeping into the repertoire, having been produced in Covent Garden in 2010.
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These discs, recorded from that production, have the immediacy of a live performance.
