RECORDINGS

LABEL: PAN CLASSICS
CATALOG NUMBER: PC 10351
UPC NUMBER: 7619990103511
NUMBER OF DISCS: 2
RUNNING TIME: 141 MIN.
YEAR RECORDED: 2015
CD RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 28, 2016
CONDUCTOR: DANIELA DOLCI
ORCHESTRA: MUSICA FIORITA
CHOIR: MUSICA FIORITA
SOPRANO: MIRIAM FEUERSINGER
ALTO: FLAVIO FERRI-BENEDETTI
TENOR: DINO LÜTHY
BARITONE: RAITIS GRIGALIS


AUDIO SAMPLES HIGHLIGHTS OTHER RELEASES

NONE


NONE



NONE


DISC ONE

1. Symphony 02:43
2. Comfort Ye My People 02:41
3. Ev'ry Valley Shall Be Exalted 03:22
4. And the Glory of the Lord 02:30
5. Thus Saith the Lord, the Lord of Hosts 01:34
6. But Who May Abide the Day 04:09
7. And He Shall Purify 02:19
8. Behold, a Virgin Shall Conceive 00:21
9. O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings 05:17
10. For Behold, Darkness Shall Cover the Earth 02:20
11. The People That Walked in Darkness 04:02
12. For unto Us a Child Is Born 03:46
13. Pifa (Pastoral Symphony) 02:46
14. There Were Shepherds Abiding in the Fields 00:16
15. And Lo, the Angel of the Lord 00:17
16. And the Angel Said unto Them 00:30
17. And Suddenly There Was with the Angel 00:15
18. Glory to God in the Highest 02:11
19. Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion 05:59
20. Then Shall the Eyes of the Blind 00:31
21. He Shall Feed His Flock like a Shepherd 04:58
22. His Yoke Is Easy, His Burthen is Light 02:15
23. Behold, the Lamb of God 02:33
24. He Was Despised 10:31
DISC TWO

1. Surely, He Hath Borne Our Griefs 01:56
2. And with His Stripes We Are Healed 01:41
3. All We like Sheep Have Gone Astray 03:35
4. All They That See Him 00:43
5. He Trusted in God 02:20
6. Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart 01:24
7. Behold, and See If There Be Any Sorrow 01:27
8. He Was Cut Off out of the Land of the Living 00:20
9. But Thou Didst Not Leave His Soul 02:33
10. Lift Up Your Heads, O Ye Gates 03:02
11. Unto Which of the Angels 00:16
12. Let All the Angels of God 01:20
13. Thou Art Gone Up on High 02:57
14. The Lord Gave the Word 01:02
15. Their Sound Is Gone Out 01:09
16. How Beautiful Are the Feet 04:42
17. Why Do the Nations So Furiously Together 02:39
18. Let Us Break Their Bonds Asunder 01:36
19. He That Dwelleth in Heaven 00:13
20. Thou Shalt Break Them 01:57
21. Hallelujah 03:51
22. I Know That My Redeemer Liveth 05:48
23. Since by Man Came Death 01:57
24. Behold, I Tell You a Mystery 00:32
25. The Trumpet Shall Sound 09:28
26. Then Shall Be Brought to Pass 00:20
27. O Death, Where Is Thy Sting 03:06
28. If God Be for Us 04:04
29. Worthy Is the Lamb That Was Slain 03:26
30. Amen 03:34

SITE RATING:  8/10
SITE REVIEW:  A lithe and assured performance, this 2015 recording by the Swiss baroque ensemble Musica Fiorita under the direction of Daniela Dolci showcases the group's polished expertise and mastery is this, their first recorded Messiah.  I looked at the Musica Fiorita website, and was impressed by the group's wide-ranging oeuvre - which includes live opera, touring concerts, and recordings of both major and obscure composers.  Among the soloists here, tenor Dino Lüthy possesses a mellow, warm tone and absolute mastery in the arias; baritone Raitis Grigalis is somewhat weaker, with odd performance choices jarring the listener: his widely-spaced melismas and pronounced accent mangling his arias to a distracting degree.  Alto Flavio Ferri-Benedetti has a lovely, melting timbre and sensitive readings on his arias, while soprano Miriam Feuersinger has a lovely tessitura and buttery tone which pleasantly offsets the clear "white" sound she brings to the performance.  Dolci's tempi are brisk, yet not rushed - and she clearly understands how to milk the meaning of the text - the Musica Fiorita ensemble is tight and responsive - occasionally vocal timbres or vibrato break out of the fabric of sound, perhaps a remnant of their more operatic endeavors, but with such a small group, such minor deviances are easily forgiven in the face of their uniform excellence.  A truly excellent recording, and one well worth adding to your Messiah collection.


The Complete Messiah All Content Copyright © 2016 Bret D. Wheadon
All Rights Reserved.