Like his earlier opera, Mathis der Maler, Hindemith’s 1957 Die Harmonie der Welt is an opera of ideas, dealing with such subjects as the nature of creativity, the artist/original thinker in a society inimical to new ideas, humanity’s role in the universe and the ultimate harmony of the cosmos. Heady stuff that probably accounts for its rarity– this is the first recording of the complete opera. Like its predecessor, Die Harmonie der Welt best known through the symphony Hindemith based on it. But it’s an engrossing opera full of quality music and deserves to be ranked among the composer’s masterpieces. It doesn’t lack for dramatic situations, including grave plunderings, confrontations with the high and mighty of the Renaissance like Wallerstein and Rudolf II, and the personal and intellectual strivings of its hero, the astronomer Johannes Kepler. The action travels from Prague to key central European cities, covering a time span from 1608 to 1630. And there’s an abundance of melody, dramatic fireworks, and lyric passages to make up for the lack of popular arias. Fortunately, Die Harmonie der Welt gets a fine performance from Marek Janowski and his cast. Francois Le Roux is excellent as Kepler, singing and acting with authority, and subsidiary roles are well done and often better than that. The only flaw here is the casting of Susanna, the soprano lead and love interest with a singer who is, to be blunt, downright awful. But in the overall scheme of a 2-hour-and-40-minute opera, she inflicts minimal damage. Opera buffs, especially those attracted to accessible tonal modern operas, will want this important recording. They can be secure in the belief that it gets a worthy performance and is not likely to be rivaled for a long time to come. --Dan Davis