[Bemsch's] brilliant tenor voice never fails to light up the landscape...Another very impressive vocal presence is the contralto Teresa Iervolino ( Judith), who is vividly dramatic in the recitative announcement of Holofernes’ beheading...The orchestra is lively and atmospheric throughout, and this current recording is certainly the best available.

Rousset gets vividly coloured playing from his period band...I’m certainly glad to have heard this new recording, above all for the two sopranos and Teresa Iervolino’s formidable Judith.

It is difficult to imagine a more compelling performance than that given here by Christophe Rousset, which is throughout vividly alive and indeed frequently electrifying without ever losing sight of the lyrical beauty that pervades much of the score. Every bar speaks of Rousset’s total belief in and love for the music, in which he is aided by superlative orchestral playing and an exceptional cast.

[Iervolino is] the star of the set; an important young Italian mezzo bigger than we hear these days in Mozart. Pablo Bernsch is a vehement Ozia, the Israelite leader, but it’s Rousset who makes more than expected of this juvenile work: he whips up a storm in the turbulent overture and choral scenes, looking forward to Idomeneo ten years later.