| RECORDINGS |
|
| LABEL: |
NAXOS |
| CATALOG
NUMBER: |
8.554511-12 |
| UPC
NUMBER: |
636943451120 |
| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
2 |
| RUNNING TIME: |
142:19 |
| YEAR
RECORDED: |
1996 |
| CD
RELEASE DATE: |
NOVEMBER
30, 1999 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
OWEN
BURDICK |
| ORCHESTRA: |
THE
TRINITY ORCHESTRA |
| CHOIR: |
THE
TRINITY CHOIR |
| SOPRANO: |
BETHANY
HODGES, JANINE ULLYETTE |
| CONTRALTO: |
ANDREA
SAPOSNIK, SARAH BLEASDALE |
| TENOR: |
BENJAMIN
BRECHER |
| BASS: |
JAMES
MARTIN, ROBERT MCLOUD |
|
|
DISC ONE
1. Overture
2. Arioso. Comfort ye
3. Air. Every valley shall be exalted
4. Chorus. And the glory of the Lord
5. Recitative. Thus saith the Lord of host
6. Air. But who may abide the day of his
coming
7. Chorus. And he shall purify the sons of
Levi
8. Recitative. Behold a virgin shall
conceive
9. Air and Chorus. O thou that tellest
good tidings to Zion
10. Arioso. For behold, darkness shall
cover the earth
11. Air. The people that walked in
darkness have seen a great light
12. Chorus. For unto us a child is born
13. Pifa (Pastoral Symphony)
Listen
14. Recitative. There were shepherds
abiding in the field / Arioso. And
lo, the angel
15. Recitative. And the angel said unto
them, Fear not
16. Arioso. And suddenly there was with
the angel...
17. Chorus. Glory to God in the highest
18. Air. Rejoice greatly
19. Recitative. Then shall the eyes of the
blind be opened
20. Air. He shall feed his flock like a
shepherd
21. Chorus. His yoke is easy, and his
burden is light
22. Chorus. Behold, The Lamb of God
23. Air. He was despised and rejected of
men
24. Chorus. Surely he hath borne our
griefs
25. Chorus. And with his stripes we are
healed
26. Chorus. All we like sheep have gone
astray
|
DISC TWO
1. Arioso. All they that see him
laugh him to scorn
2. Chorus. He trusted in God that he would
deliver him
3. Recitative. Thy rebuke hath broken his
heart
4. Air. Behold and see if there be any
sorrow like unto his sorrow
5. Recitative. He was cut off out of the
land of the living
6. Air. But thou didst not leave his soul
in hell
7. Chorus. Lift up your heads
8. Recitative. Unto which of the angels
said he at any time
9. Chorus. Let all the angels of God
worship him
10. Air. Thou art gone up on high
11. Chorus. The Lord gave the word
12. Aria. How beautiful are the feet of
them that preach the gospel of peace
13. Air. Why do the nations so furiously
rage together
14. Chorus. Let us break their bonds
asunder
15. Recitative. He that dwelleth in heaven
shall laugh them to scorn
16. Air. Thou shalt break them with a rod
of iron
17. Chorus. Halleujah
Listen
18. Air. I know that my redeemer liveth
19. Chorus. Since by man came death
20. Recitative. Behold, I tell you a
mystery
21. Air. The trumpet shall sound
22. Duet. O death, where is thy sting
23. Chorus. But thanks be to God
24. Air. If God be for us who can be
against us
25. Chorus. Worthy is the lamb that was
slain...
26. Chorus. Amen
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SITE RATING: 8/10
SITE
REVIEW: For the Naxos
label, which specializes in recording and
releasing live performances of classical
works, this is a very good release, indeed.
Recorded at the New York Trinity Church
(where Messiah
received its U.S. premiere, being first
performed only twenty-eight years after it was
composed), the listener is treated to
wonderful natural acoustics, stunning soloists
(with special mention given to tenor Benjamin
Brecher for his passionate readings and
awe-inspiring tessitura), and playing and
singing by the Trinity Choir and Orchestra
that is truly envious for it's precision and
unity. The sound is not always as close
and separated as I might wish, but neither is
it too murky - being a live recording in a
200-year-old church it's remarkably good, but
we lose some of the finer points of the
melismas in the "wash" of sound being
captured. And what we lose as far as
clarity, we gain with the atmosphere of the
Trinity Church. The largest problem I
have with this particular performance is the
ornamentation of the soloists, whose sudden
crescendos "punch out" of the rest of the
fabric of the oratorio in a forced, startling
manner. Regardless, for the price
offered, and the performance with which the
listener is treated, this is an excellent
addition to any music collection.
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