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Jepthe/Jonah Recording Review

Michael Pohlenz | Denver, CO | 06/17/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Having studied and conducted both of these beautiful Carissimi oratorios, this performance is marred by faulty intonation among the soloists and chorus, and very minimal, generally uninspired ornamentation of the vocal lines. Indeed, the usually gorgeous closing chorus of "Jepthe" is labored and heavy, and several tempi in both works fail to reflect the drama of the text. While the orchestra performed better than the soloists and chorus, in this day when many questions of performance practice have been standardized in period instrument performances and recordings, I expected much better of any choral group bearing the "Oxford" name. This CD does give the listener a good idea of what these oratorios sound like, but these are not stellar performances."