Fourteen years before Handel’s 1751 work Jephtha Maurice Greene produced a different English language oratorio on the same theme and with the same title.  It’s now been recorded by the Early Opera Company.

Thje story is taken from Judges and concerns the recall of Jephtha from exile to lead the Israelite army against an Ammonite invasion (the people from the East bank of the Jordan not the cephalopods).  Jephtha promises Jehovah that if he is victorious he will sacrifice the first creature “of virgin blood” he meets (shades of Idomeneo) which, of course, turns out to be his daughter.  There’s no divine intervention and no happy ending.

Structurally the piece falls into two parts.  The first is largely convinced with the Israelite Elders persuading a very reluctant Jephtha to take the job.  The second is mostly a dialogue between Jephtha and daughter in which she persuades him that a vow to Jehovah is more important than her life.  There’s also some discussion about the legitimacy of human sacrifice in general.  Pretty standard Old Testament fare really.

Musically it’s pretty good in an entirely conventional way.  Greene was clearly a highly competent musician (Organist at St Paul’s Cathedral, Organist and Composer to the Chapel
Royal, Professor of Music at the University of Cambridge and Master of the
King’s Music).  It’s very much an oratorio rather than an opera in disguise (much more “tell” thant “show”) but it’s got some really good numbers notably Jephtha’s “Thou sweetest joy” and the daughter’s “Ah! my foreboding Fears” and the Second Elder’s rather sprightly “Against these new Alarms”.

It’s a solid cast too.  Andrew Staples sings Jephtha with Mary Bevan as his daughter and they are excellent.  Staples has a lovely lyrical tenor and soprano Bevan has quite a rich sound but great agility.  The Elders are Michael Mofidian who is a proper bass and tenor Jeremy Budd who is another English early music stalwart.  Jessica Cale has a brief appearance (unnamed role) in a duet with Bevan early in Part 2.  There’s an excellent, appropriately sized, orchestra on period instruments and a sixteen person chorus.  These are likely larger forces than at the premiere which was a private performance in a tavern.  Christian Curnyn conducts with a sound sense of style.

The recording was made at the Church of St Augustine, Kilburn in March 2024 and it’s good even on the 44.1kHz/16 bit digital review copy.  But this is a Chandos release recorded at 96kHz/24 bit and released as a two disk SACD set which should sound notably better.  There’s a very comprehensive and useful booklet though one hardly needs the included text.  All the singers have excellent diction.

Catalogue details: Chandos SACD CHSA 0408 2 (release date is April 18th 2025)