Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Had someone told me about this at the beginning of April I would have suspected a leg-pull. Let me give you the full title: "Rappresentatione di Giuseppe e i fratelli - a musical drama in three acts, composed in the spirit of the early operas for five voices, basso continuo, and instruments; sung in Biblical Hebrew." So the story of Giuseppe also known as Joseph and here pronounced as Yosef performed in the style of Monteverdi and his contemporaries. What could possibly go wrong? Well, since you ask, very little. Israeli composer Elam Rotem knows what he is doing and as he directs from behind his harpsichord and also sings bass he is well positioned to ensure that what we hear is what he wants us to hear. The four other singers, like Rotem from Galilee, Doron Schleifer, David Feldman, Dino Luthy and Dan Dunkleblum, are all more than competent and the players that accompany them are also very good. The text is pretty much straight from the Hebrew Torah (Genesis 37-46 in the Christian Old Testament) and once we remember that names are pronounced differently - so Joseph the son of Jacob is Yosef ben Ya'akov - it is not too difficult to follow, so long as you are familiar with the Bible story (as opposed to Tim Rice's version). And if your biblical Hebrew is as rusty as mine there is a translation in the CD booklet. Rotem takes his musical inspiration from the revolutionary musical dramas by Cavalieri, Caccini and Monteverdi and on this double CD he stands the comparison. If this had been sung in Latin or Italian and someone had told me it was a newly discovered Monteverdi you would have fooled me.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

Interested in reviewing music? Find out more here.