It was a Swedish fellow student at the university of Göttingen who suggested to would-be composer Joseph Martin Kraus trying his luck at Gustav III’s court in Stockholm. In 1772 Gustav founded the royal opera to raise his nation’s cultural prestige and to further the development of its own national culture. Soon the repertoire, which the king managed himself, also contained operas in Swedish. He designed libretti and was always on the lookout for new talents. All in all, there were striking similarities between him and his mother’s brother: famous Uncle Frederic II.
Inspired by ancient mythology, the one act piece "Proserpin", which received a preview performance in 1781 at Uriksdal Palace, launched composer Kraus’ distinguished career as royal Swedish conductor at the tender age of 25. His score which is rich in both colours and events he largely leaves  the traditional number opera structure and finds his very individual compositional solutions. This is the work of one of the period’s most original and most innovative opera creators. Haydn called him a genius. That is a word he only used for one other man: Mozart.