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.

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 (866056162), 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.

Dario Salvi is a busy and respected conductor with a versatile and eclectic repertoire, which has been recognised through numerous awards and nominations, including the 2023 ‘Riccardo Drigo’ Music for Ballet prize and a 2022 International Classical Music Awards nomination for the world-premiere recording of Johann Strauss II’s Waldmeister (Naxos 866048990). His passion for the rediscovery and performance of long-forgotten masterpieces and the curation of world premieres has put Salvi in the spotlight around the world. World-premiere performances include Vassallo’s Edith Cavell, Adam’s Griseldis and Orfa, Romberg’s The Desert Song and Strauss II’s Blindekuh, Waldmeister and Indigo und die vierzig Räuber, among many others.

Cast:
- Don Juan: Matthias Lika (baritone)
- Donna Angela: Lara Rieken (soprano)
- Beatrice: Julia Surushkina (soprano)
- Don Manuel: Gustav Wenzel Most (tenor)
- Rodrigo: Lukas Krimmel (bass)