Treasure or Trinket?

All but forgotten now, Keiser was one of the shining lights of the German Baroque era. His most popular opera dramatizes the fate of King Croesus, an avaricious monarch whose hubris causes his fall at the hands of an invader, Cyrus. Entwined in this central drama is a typically muddled Baroque plot of overlapping love triangles between Croesus’ son Atis, his love, Elmira, and several other characters.

“When I first heard a recording, I was so high on this opera that I felt it needed to be done,” says Minnesota Opera artistic director Dale Johnson, addressing the Why? Johnson’s commitment has never wavered. “We tried to produce it in ’03, ’04, and ’05, but we never had the funds.” A collaboration with Britain’s Opera North finally brought the production to fruition.

In the early 1700s, many considered Keiser Germany’s greatest composer, in company that includes Handel and Telemann. How could so great a composer languish in obscurity for three centuries? Johnson’s educated guess is that “something shattering was happening at the time”—such as the advent of Italian opera seria, perfected by Handel. “Kreiser’s work was local in nature. He didn’t embrace the new international style, so his work was eclipsed.”

As a result, Kreiser’s music is, according to Johnson, “much freer and more expressive than the Italian style, which is rooted in de capo arias.” Kreiser’s shorter pieces are fast-paced and fresh compared to the rigid structure of Handel, says Johnson. He describes these pieces as “charming,” but to ears accustomed to the more complex structures of later composers, they could also be considered a bit superficial and lacking in depth of feeling. “That may be why Keiser has been lost,” Johnson says. But it doesn’t mean the man shouldn’t get heard every now and then.
The British press vociferously praised the original Opera North production, and director Tim Albery and conductor Harry Bicket (last seen here helming Mozart’s La clemenza di Tito) will be on hand for the local staging. Especially laudable is Albery’s edition of the score, which clarifies the core story, honing in on the relationship of Elmira and Atis. And he brings it together in under three hours, including intermissions, which should help keep the seats filled until the final curtain.

The Minnesota Opera’s production has a 1930s quality, which makes it feel more contemporary. Cultural references, which include equating the invading Cyrus with Hitler’s attempts to wreak havoc on Europe and numerous references to rampant greed, will feel quite relevant to an audience in 2008.

None of this makes King Croesus a sure bet. The Minnesota Opera does very little Baroque opera (their last Handel production was 1994’s Guilio Cesare), and the company’s limited resources could arguably be better spent on a more worthy project.

Johnson admits that there is a marketing angle to his decision. “Given that it has never been done in the United States before, we will get more media coverage,” he says. “I don’t mind being reviewed by The New York Times.”

He also defends his vision: “Opera is becoming so compartmentalized. You find production after production of the top ten operas. We’re swimming against the tide of that, which is hard in these economic times. But we want to keep the art form fresh. We have a sophisticated audience who enjoy being pushed, who like being surprised.”

From a business standpoint, the wisdom of reviving Keiser remains to be seen, but the courage to do it does indeed deserve to be celebrated.

March 1–9. Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, 345 Washington St., St. Paul, 612-333-6669