Having added more than 20 diverse works to the operatic catalogue, Jonathan Dove (b1959) is one of our most prolific and widely performed composers for the stage. His distinctive idiom, innate sense of stagecraft, melodic gift and sensitivity to word-setting place him firmly in the pantheon of great theatrical composers. Tobias and the Angel belongs to that noble tradition of chamber operas which includes Holst’s Sa¯vitri, Walton’s The Bear and Britten’s Church Parables and Noye’s Fludde. Premiered in 1999 at Christ Church, Islington, as part of the Almeida Festival, Tobias was revived by the Young Vic as its first production when it reopened in 2006.

David Lam’s libretto, based on the story found in the book of Tobit from the Apocrypha, maintains a swiftly flowing narrative, by turns playful, poignant, compelling and deft. Dove’s beautifully crafted score fits like a glove, driving the plot – set during the Jewish exile in Babylonian Nineveh – at an easily digestible pace.

The solo roles are expertly cast and sung, with magnificent support from the children’s and adult choruses. Further accolades, too, for the roistering quartet of Raguel’s Men and the nine-piece band (with klezmer quartet within) – all tightly controlled by David Charles Abell – who contribute a kaleidoscopic wealth of orchestral colour. Chandos’s engineering is beautifully transparent. As a purely aural experience this is a deeply satisfying production. Everyone involved sounds as though they are having the time of their lives. An outstanding release.