Reviewed by Steven Whitehead

Please stay with me while I try to explain: I like the operas of Verdi but had not heard of this one. Knowing that he did write religious music (a Requiem, for example) and on occasion made use of Biblical material (Nabucco being Nebuchadnezzar) I thought this might be of interest. The kind people at Select Distribution sent me a review copy and I have watched and listened with pleasure. However, I have to report that the story stars Gaston, a Lombard crusader to the Holy Land in 1905 (methinks that should read 1095). Of course the love interest tags along, ends up in a harem and. . .well, it is an opera - of course it is silly. The cast has no big names but sound good to me. Verdi collectors will want this, the rest of you should start with his better-known works, and say thank you for a review copy.

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