After George Antheil had blown his horns in Europe as a self-proclaimed bad boy of music and caused enough scandal with his advanced experiments, he managed to turn things around in his native America, resulting in a considerable number of important compositions. These include the later symphonies and a series of one-act stage works in which Antheil dramatized a wide variety of themes and situations. At the end of the series is the exotic five-person piece Venus in Africa, a distinctive, touching and also extremely amusing story in which the ancient goddess of love helps an American couple to establish a lasting relationship. The music, oscillating between operatic turbulence, impressionistic refinement and musical-like sounds, is further proof that Antheil had brilliantly shaken off his early image.