This fantastic series of Moniuszko operas with period-instrument orchestras continues apace with Straszny dwór (The Haunted Manor), a four-act work written in 1861-62. The very first chords of this work shout ‘comic opera’, but the magnificent notes included in the accompanying book (it can hardly be called a booklet!) explain in great detail the nationalist background to libretto and music – the apparently broken clock that regains its vitality is a symbol of the desire for the revival of Polish identity in times of subjugation to Russia, and there are innumerable musical references to Polish marches and dances.

What strikes one apart from this, however, is Moniuzsko’s musical language. As in Flis, one seems to move with ease from the world of Beethoven to those of Tchaikovsky and Verdi, and the articulation and phrasing of the Orchestra of the 18th Century bring the necessary clarity without sacrificing any expressive depth. None of this is intended to imply, incidentally, that Moniuszko was a derivative composer. On the contrary, his music partakes of its time and is given an extra layer of interest and colour by the significance of the Polish elements.

The libretto for this work is, naturally, in Polish, and the cast of Polish singers is very strong indeed. Bass-baritone Tomasz Konieczny as Miecznik and soprano Edyta Piasecka as Hanna are particularly impressive, but in fact the sense of ensemble is so strong that is seems invidious to single out particular singers: try the beginning of Act 1 scene 3, for example, which after one of Moniuszko’s lovely plaintive introductions features the gorgeous trio of Arnold Rutkowski, Marcin Bronikowski and Mariusz Godlewski arriving at their ancestral home, or the powerful soliloquy of Stefan (Rutkowski) which constitutes Act 3 scene 4.

Grzegorz Nowak directs with conviction and verve, and the recording, made at Polish Radio in 2018 and 2019, is superb.