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Binding: Audio CDEAN: 0028945346427 Format: Import Label: Archiv Prod Import Manufacturer: Archiv Prod Import Number Of Discs: 2 Publisher: Archiv Prod Import Release Date: August 01, 1997 Studio: Archiv Prod Import Editorial Review: Amazon.com: You would think that everyone in the world owned a copy of Messiah by now, and that there would certainly be no need to record new ones very year. Wrong! Here's DG's 1997 entry, and it's a fine one too. The only reservation is the recorded sound, which seems to be somewhat congested at the climaxes, as though the chorus and orchestra were recorded in differing acoustic spaces. Otherwise, this is as fine an "authentic" performance as we're likely to get. --David Hurwitz Average Rating:
 Rating:  - So Many Messiahs, So Little TimeYes, the Hogwood, Pinnock, Christie, and even Parrott Messiahs all have their merits, usually in the virtuosity of one or another of the soloists. Likewise, every performance of the Messiah has moments when the conductor falls asleep or the brass players are too absorbed in their crossword puzzles to drain their spit valves in time. There is no definitive Messiah. The five soloists on the recording are easily separated into the sheep and the goats. (Have you ever spent any time with ... Read More Rating: - Maybe my favorite MessiahIt's hard to have one favorite for a work with so many diverse challenges and rewards; it's far too big for any one performance. But though I have a dozen or so recordings, this is the Messiah I've had the highest joys-to-frustrations ratio with for the last few years. Perhaps its strongest point, to my ears, is the technical assurance of the soloists, at no cost to their musicality. The thing that has jarred me most often from my enjoyment of this work is soloists just not quite hitting ... Read More Rating: - A top drawer version for authenticists and fans of samePeople's preferences about Handel's Messiah are typically built on whether or not they enjoy the version being put forth. Paul McCreesh's performance, from the end of the last century, is the Foundling Hopsital performing version Handel may have known in his day. It substitutes certain women's voices -- and a countertenor in other recordings -- for certain arias a bass sings in traditional performances such as those led by Marriner and Colin Davis. I think this is a five-star performance for ... Read More Rating: - Misses the mark-by a bitMaestro McCreesh's 1996 effort is a strong contender among the PI (period instrument) crowd. The orchestra doesn't screech, the chorus has weight, decent diction and color and the soloists have fine voices particularly the sopranos and the contralto. McCreesh appears to see the Messiah as drama or perhaps as opera. For example, contralto Bernarda Fink's desire for us feel her pain in "He was despised..." is over the top and distracting. The apparent intent of the players to strive for effect and to ... Read More Rating: - Hmmm....This can often be too clinical of a version. Overrall, it is excellent: the soloists are especially wonderful, as is the choir. I've been enjoying this version for quite some time, and it is as fresh and slick as you could want. But it lacks the humanity and warmth of even Marriner's double decca set. So while I am giving it four worthy stars, be sure it isn't the only one you get. |
