This disc, retailing in the U.S. for a mere $6.98, offers a classic illustration of the adage that you get what you pay for. It contains straightforward performances of two classics of the oratorio repertoire, Carissimi's Jephte and Jonas, along with a less familiar piece, the "serenade" Dai più riposti abissi (From the most hidden abysses). Jephte and Jonas take adapted passages from the Old Testament for their texts, and they did much to create the mixture of drama and reverently religious heft that Handel would explore a few generations later; they're compact dramatic works that any lover of sacred music should know. Here, the oratorios are done with a very small vocal ensemble -- essentially the soloist-ripieno approach advocated by those who have started performing the Bach Passions and Mass in B minor with one or two voices per part. That approach is controversial but quite defensible if executed well. That doesn't happen here; the singers, for all the "meticulous and continuous research" in which they have engaged, seem to have lost sight of the fact that Carissimi's music, like much other vocal music of the seventeenth century, was written for real vocal athletes. There's nothing objectionable about the vocals here, but the ornamentation lacks oomph and pitches are not all squarely hit. The inclusion of the unusual and attractive Dai più riposti abissi is a plus, but with other recordings of Carissimi's oratorios available as the composer gains popularity (sample the one on Accent led by Belgian conductor
Erik van Nevel) there's no reason to settle for this one just to save a few bucks. Texts are in Latin (or Italian) and English only; the sloppily translated liner notes are only in English.