It’s been suggested that it was Offenbach who proposed to waltz king Johann Strauss II that he try his hand at the vocal form. And it was with such gems as A Night in Venice and Vienna Blood that Strauss gained a significant reputation, virtually single-handedly creating Viennese operetta and presenting his masterpiece Die Fledermaus in 1874. The work quickly caught on and there have been many recordings, often reflecting contemporary operatic practice whilst featuring the finest lyric sopranos of the day as the charming and flirtatious Rosalinde.

This new recording presents an idiomatic native German cast surrounding Laura Aikin as Rosalinde in this picaresque tale. In these times of financial cutbacks, the production is recorded...