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RECORDINGS |
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| LABEL: |
OPENING DAY RECORDINGS |
| CATALOG NUMBER: |
ODR9304 |
| UPC NUMBER: |
776143000428 |
| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
1 |
| RUNNING TIME: |
1:16:15 |
| YEAR RECORDED: |
1994 |
| CD RELEASE DATE: |
1994 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
HOWARD DYCK |
| ORCHESTRA: |
GIFT OF MESSIAH ORCHESTRA |
| CHOIR: |
GIFT OF MESSIAH CHOIR |
| SOPRANO: |
HENRIETTE SCHELLENBERG |
| MEZZO-SOPRANO: |
CATHERINE ROBBIN |
| TENOR: |
PAUL FREY |
| BASS: |
DANIEL LICHTI |
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NOT AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE.
CHECK FOR AVAILABILITY ON
 |
| AUDIO SAMPLES |
HIGHLIGHTS |
OTHER RELEASES |
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NONE |
NONE |
NONE |
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DISC ONE
1. Sinfony 2:57
2. Comfort ye my people
Ev'ry Valley shall be exalted 6:25
3. And the glory of the Lord 2:48
4. Behold, a virgin shall conceive
O thou that tellest good tidings 6:01
5. For unto us a child is born 3:49
6. Pifa
There were shepherds abiding
And lo, the angel of the Lord
And the angel said
And suddenly there was with the angel
Glory to God 4:30
7. Rejoice greatly 4:35
8. Behold the Lamb of God 3:04
9. He was despised 9:20
10. Thy rebuke hath broken his heart
Behold and see if there be any sorrow
He was cut off from the land
But Thou didst not leave His soul 5:21
11. Hallelujah! 3:38
12. I know that my Redeemer liveth 5:43
13. Behold I tell you a mystery
The trumpet shall sound 9:35
14. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
Amen 7:23
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SITE RATING: 7/10
SITE REVIEW:
A Canadian release used as a fundraiser for the Mennonite Central Committee as well as Habitat for Humanity,
this limited release highlights disc is good, although hampered by
blocky tempos which tends to weigh everything down. I was at
first taken
with tenor Paul Frey's commanding tone, but as he continued, the heavy
emphasis on downbeats dragged his solos down. The same can be
said with mezzosoprano Catherine Robbin, who shares an admirable tone
and phrasing, but is slowed down by director's Howard Dyck's emphatic,
square tempos. This Messiah
isn't as rich and grand as the old-school 1950s recordings, it uses
light forces, in both the small choir and orchestra, both of whom were
compiled for this project, but he conducts as if his troupe was larger
than it is, and thus loses some of the joy and dancing lightness that Messiah
can have, and conversely lacking the power and majesty that larger
forces can bring. That said, this is still an enjoyable
recording, with a professional feel and shine that reveals that whoever
the forces were that brought this recording to fruition were
professional. The choir is remarkably unified and commanding
during their melismas, although it sounds like the basses are given
more weight in the mixing than the sopranos, which is a little odd.
Still, an overall pleasing highlights disc that has many fine
moments. Don't hesitate to snap it up if you can find it.
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