Otto Nicolai ( 1810 - 1849: exactly the Chopin years ) has come to be viewed by many as a one-work composer. The work that comes to mind, his opera, Die lustigen Weiber von Windsor (The Merry Wives of Windsor), is rightly regarded as his greatest. Yet others among his works are worth hearing, and he surely would have produced more had his life not ended so prematurely. Claudius Tanski plays this work with energy and expressiveness.