| RECORDINGS |
|
| LABEL: |
CORO |
| CATALOG
NUMBER: |
COR16062 |
| UPC
NUMBER: |
828021606229 |
| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
3 |
| RUNNING TIME: |
70:27,
74:16, 55:30 (BONUS CD) |
| YEAR
RECORDED: |
2007 |
| CD
RELEASE DATE: |
JANUARY
1, 2008 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
HARRY
CHRISTOPHERS |
| ORCHESTRA: |
THE
SIXTEEN ORCHESTRA |
| CHOIR: |
THE
SIXTEEN CHOIR |
| SOPRANO: |
CAROLYN
SAMPSON |
| ALTO: |
CATHERINE
WYN-ROGERS |
| TENOR: |
MARK
PADMORE |
| BASS: |
CHRISTOPHER
PURVES |
|
|
DISC ONE
1. Symphony
2. Accompagnato. Comfort ye, my people
3. Air. Ev'ry valley shall be exalted
4. Chorus. And the glory of the Lord
shall be revealed
5. Air. Thus saith the Lord of
Hosts
6. Accompagnato. But who may abide?
7. Chorus. He shall purify
8. Recit. Behold a virgin shall conceive
9. Air and Chorus. O Thou that tellest
good tidings to Zion
10. Accompagnato. For behold, darkness
shall cover the earth
11. Air. The people that walked in
darkness
12. Chorus. For unto us a child is born
13. Pastoral Symphony (Pifa)
14. Recit. There were shepherds abiding
in the field
15. Accompagnato. And lo, the angel of
the Lord came upon them
16. Recit. And the angel said unto them:
Fear not
17. Accompagnato. And suddenly there was
with the angel
18. Chorus. Glory to God in the highest
19. Air. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of
Zion
20. Recit. Then shall the eyes of the
blind be opened
21. Air. He shall feed His flock like a
shepherd
22. Chorus. His yoke is easy and His
burthen is light
23. Chorus. Behold the Lamb of God
24. Air. He was despised and rejected of
men
|
DISC TWO
1. Chorus. Surely He hath
borne our griefs
2. Chorus. And with His stripes we are
healed
3. Chorus. All we like sheep have gone
astray
4. Accompagnato. All they that see Him
laugh Him to scorn
5. Chorus. He trusted in God that He
would deliver Him
6. Accompagnato. Thy rebuke hath broken
His heart
7. Arioso. Behold and see if there be
any sorrow
8. Accompagnato. He was cut off out of
the land of the living
9. Air. But Thou didst not leave His
soul in hell
10. Chorus. Lift up your heads, O ye
gates
11. Recit. Unto which of the angels said
He at any time
12. Chorus. Let all the angels of God
worship Him
13. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.
Air. Thou art gone up on high
14. Chorus. The Lord gave the word
15. Chorus. Their sound is gone out into
all lands
16. Air. Why do the nations so furiously
rage together?
17. Chorus. Let us break their bonds
asunder
18. Recit. He that dwelleth in heaven
shall laugh them to scorn
19. Air. Thou shalt break them with a
rod of iron
20. Chorus. Hallelujah!
21. Air. I know that my redeemer liveth
22. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3.
Chorus. Since by man came death
23. Accompagnato. Behold, I tell you a
mystery
24. Recit. Then shall be brought to pass
25. Duet. O Death, where is thy sting?
26. Chorus. But thanks be to God
27. Air. If God be for us, who can be
against us?
28. Chorus. Worthy is the Lamb that was
slain
29. Chorus. Amen
|
Disc Three
(Bonus)
1. Solomon, oratorio, HWV 67:
Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
2. Esther, oratorio, HWV 50b: The Lord
our enemy has slain
3. Pensieri notturni di filli (Nel dolce
dell'oblio), cantata for soprano,
recorder & continuo, HWV
134
4. Harp Concerto in B flat major,
Op.4/6, HWV 294: Allegro
5. Harp Concerto in B flat major,
Op.4/6, HWV 294: Larghetto
6. Harp Concerto in B flat major,
Op.4/6, HWV 294: Allegro moderato
7. Ariodante, opera, HWV 33: Act 2.
Sinfonia
8. Ariodante, opera, HWV 33: Recitative
and Aria. Scherza infida
9. Samson, oratorio, HWV 57: Air and
Chorus. Let the bright seraphim |
|
SITE RATING: 8/10
SITE
REVIEW: I own the
previous Christophers/Sixteen Messiah on
Hyperion, and was looking forward to this new
interpretation. Overall, it's very good,
especially the chorus, soprano, bass and tenor
soloists. The tempi are generally on the slow
side, (especially when compared with other
recent "period" recordings) but not
excessively so, and occasionally distracting
ornamentation is displayed only in the soprano
and alto lines. In the liner notes, Mr.
Christophers mentions that each of the
soloists have been associated with him for
many years, and that this recording had a
"family" atmosphere. Well and good, but I wish
that a little more judiciousness had been
taken with the choice of alto soloist, who
sounds a bit past her prime here, with wide
vibrato and occasional noticeable gasps for
breath. The Sixteen Choir and Orchestra are
fantastic, as usual, performing with much more
depth and feeling than their earlier Messiah
outing. Mr. Christophers mentions in his liner
notes that he paid special attention to the
text of Messiah during this performance, and
it shows - the Hyperion Messiah glistened with
good singing, but sounded detached, even vain
at times; here the Choir sounds more involved
in the performance, yet still attends to their
pristine vocal talents. There are moments of
pure beauty in the choruses, and for that, and
for the generally fine soloists, I recommend
this set as worth a listen. ~ BDW
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