“The work is an imposing sound fresco that brings to the stage the internal disagreements and the tenderness of emotional relationships and, in an epic and solemn way, crosses the great themes of paternal love, devotion to the homeland, faith and confident abandonment to the mercy of the Lord.” [original in Italian]

— Andrea Milanesi, January 2024

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“Both Elsässer and Andrea Chudak cope valiantly with Meyerbeer’s extravagant demands and even ornament their music stylishly… the orchestra and chorus make a good showing under the untiringly enthusiastic leadership of Dario Salvi.”

— Opera, November 2023

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★★★

“And yet the three-act play offers a foretaste of the French "Grand Opéras", the form of which the German later perfected. Characteristic of this are the expansive finales of the three acts, the marches and dance interludes. "Jephta's Vow" has now been recorded on CD for the first time, another achievement of the conductor Dario Salvi, who tirelessly searches for rarities and who has also recorded Meyerbeer's ballet” [Original in German]

— Karin Coper, August 2023

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“The Italian-Scottish conductor Dario Salvi makes a specialty of unusual repertory. …The Bulgarian orchestra and chorus are highly proficient….Anybody interested in Meyerbeer’s development, or in the development of German-language opera, will find much food for thought here – and more than an hour of lively, colourful, dramatically apposite music, delightfully rendered.

— Ralph Locke, July 2023

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★★★ “The Italian-British conductor has developed into a specialist in the rediscovery of forgotten works and ensures stylistically coherent conducting.”

— Peter Sommeregger, March 2023 (Original in German)

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★★★ “Under these conditions, [this recording] is to be commended, as well as the elegance of its direction. A longer preparation would undoubtedly have earned us a more sustained pace […] The Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra offers a performance of great musical quality. The choirs are excellent […] This recording has the merit of filling an important void in the understanding of Meyerbeer's musical career and of bringing us new insight into the musical milestones of this period.”

— Jean-Michel Pennetier, January 2022 (Original in French)

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★★★ “The rediscovery of his epics are now seeing pieces heard anew, thanks to the impassioned conductor Dario Salvi and the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra/Chorus.”

— James Ellis, March 2023

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★★★ “We still need a good studio recording of Jephtas Gelübde, but until such time as this happens, this recording shows us just what we are missing. The strong performance from Sönke Tams Freier in the title role is complemented by admirably game performances from Andrea Chudak and Markus Elsäßer, whilst Dario Salvi, the orchestra and chorus clearly relish the myriad challenges thrown at them.”

— Robert Hugill, December 2021

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“Meyerbeer, long considered one of the greatest of operatic composers, is being rediscovered. His first drama was Jephtas Gelübde based on the biblical story of Jephta and his rash vow of sacrifice. The musical language is varied in expression, with an exceptionally advanced use of leitmotif and a subtle depiction of psychological process, all revealing a powerful command of material. […] Gripping ensembles embody music of lyricism, drama and rapture”

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“Scottish-Italian Dario Salvi conducts the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra with great sensitivity, bringing out the drama and rich textures in Meyerbeer’s eloquent instrumental writing. Highly recommended.”

March 2023

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“The recording was made in Sofia with the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir under the dedicated conductor Dario Salvi. The Italian-British conductor has developed into a specialist in the rediscovery of forgotten works and ensures stylistically coherent conducting. The few solo parts are excellently cast.”

— Peter Sommeregger, February 2022 (Original in German)

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“Jephtas Gelübde was recorded at Bulgaria Hall in July 2019, and Salvi’s sensitive, elegant recording features a young and promising cast. Sönke Tams Freier, singing Jephta, is a noble bass-baritone in the true German style; soprano Andrea Chudak (Sulima) and tenor Markus Elsäßer (Asmavett) cope well with Meyerbeer’s demanding music; while baritone Laurence Kaladjian (Abdon) is impressive in his Act I aria.”

— Nick Fuller, November 2021

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“We do not understand as a worldwide recording of a work, with all the research work that has been behind it, the meticulous work of editing from the manuscript preserved in the British Library in London, the study of some singers (despite some irregularities), of a choir and an orchestra (quite satisfactory), in addition to the tenacity of a conductor like Dario Salvi to illuminate this strange mixture between Singspiel and oratorio, may have as a reward a ostracism like this. The document itself provides a completely unknown view of a composer so often insulted by the weight of history and who is happily regaining his rightful place in recent years.”

— Dani Cortés Gil, November 2021 (Original in Catalan)

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“Another recording of historical significance from the seemingly endless treasures of lesser known grand operas is given here by a young and promising cast under the baton of Dario Salvi [...] The ensemble as a whole (particularly in orchestral and chorus numbers) comes together remarkably well considering how little time there was to produce the recording, but it is a real shame that a recording of such historical significance should be denied a major platform release. Whatever my quibbles might be, they pale into insignificance with the sheer importance of the recording of this never-heard piece.”

— Daniel Adams, December 2021

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“The work of Dario Salvi at the head of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir is excellent and shows his care in exposing the different numbers, in the sound balance between the parts and in fidelity to the score. In addition, the deadlines that he had to carry out the recording were very tight, which gives even more value to the work done. I would also like to highlight the role of the soloists and the additions of the guitarists and the harp. And of course the choir, which was magnificent at all times.”

— Domènec González de la Rubia (Original in Spanish)

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