German opera between 1780 and 1850 (with the exception of Weber's) didn't exactly languish; rather, it was trying to figure out what it was going to be. As the notes to this fascinating disc point out, the librettos were pretty awful, but melodic invention and colorful orchestration won the day. To be sure, there's a sameness after a while and it's not the glorious sameness one finds with Bellini. Franz Lachner, Peter von Winter, and Paul Wranitzky were not Bellini. But listening, say, to an aria from Conradin Kreutzer's Libussa, with its obbligato clarinet in the fast, final section, we are simulatenously reminded of Mozart and presented with something original. Similarly, an aria from Caterina Cornaro by Franz Lachner enchants with its long, lyrical melody, slightly more angular than anything Italian, but just as memorable after you "get" the idiom. There's little among the 14 scenes on this CD that the opera enthusiast won't find interesting in some way--even Lachner's not-very-gripping Benvenuto Cellini (with the same libretto as that set by Berlioz) is a nice study in contrasts. Titania's aria from Wranitzky's Oberon, which opens the disc, is simply beautiful, with its prominent winds and brass. If you like this, then the somewhat simple sentimentality throughout won't irritate you either. I prefer to listen to this CD about three arias at a time, and I recommend it to you that way as well.

Cornelia Much is a soprano as little known as the music she performs here. The voice is pretty, with a rapid vibrato, her high notes are occasionally lunged at and her fast passage work can be a bit sketchy. But she's totally involved with this music and sells it to us handsomely, singing with clear diction and great sensitivity. To sum up, this disc is for specialists, and it has plenty to offer.

--Robert Levine