| RECORDINGS |
|
| LABEL: |
ABC
CLASSICS |
| CATALOG
NUMBER: |
ABC
476 289-0 |
| UPC
NUMBER: |
0028947628903 |
| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
3 |
| RUNNING TIME: |
53:40, 52:38, 53:03 |
| YEAR
RECORDED: |
2004 |
| CD
RELEASE DATE: |
2004 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
ANTONY
WALKER, VARIOUS |
| ORCHESTRA: |
ORCHESTRA
OF THE ANTIPODES, VARIOUS |
| CHOIR: |
CANTILLATION,
VARIOUS |
| SOPRANO: |
SARA
MACLIVER, ISOBEL BAILLIE |
| COUNTERTENOR: |
CHRISTOPHER
FIELD |
| TENOR: |
PAUL
MCMAHON, PETER SCHREIER |
| BASS: |
TEDDY
TAHU RHODES |
|
>
|
| AUDIO SAMPLES |
HIGHLIGHTS |
OTHER
RELEASES |
NONE
|
NONE
|
NONE
|
|
DISC ONE
1. Introduction - 4:43
2. The Text - 3:09
3. The coming of the Messiah: Isaiah -
5:11
4. The coming of the Messiah: the minor
prophets -
7:33
5. The coming of the Messiah: Isaiah
revisited - 4:01
6. The birth of the Messiah - 16:46
7. The life of the Messiah - 11:34
8. Conclusion - 0:43
|
DISC TWO
1. Introduction - 0:36
2. The death of the Messiah - 8:51
3. The Passion choruses - 14:54
4. The resurrection and ascension of the
Messiah -
11:48
5. The propagation of the Gospel - 2:27
6. The rejection of the Gospel - 4:44
7. The victory of the Messiah over the
enemies of the Gospel - 8:40
8. Conclusion 0:43
|
DISC
THREE
1.
Introduction 0:50
2. The individual's life of faith 6:56
3. The resurrection of the faithful
9:55
4. The believer's confidence 2:53
5. The vision of eternity 8:53
6. Handel and Messiah
2:44
7. Mozart and Messiah
3:56
8. The Crystal Palace performances
5:30
9. Sir Malcolm Sargent and Messiah
5:37
10. Sir Thomas Beecham, Sir Eugene
Goossens and Messiah
5:21
11. Conclusion 0:34 |
|
SITE RATING: 8/10
SITE
REVIEW: ABC Classics,
using (mostly) their own 2002 recording of Messiah
with Antony Walker,
put together this three-hour radio program,
narrated by Graham Abbott in 2004. As an
"introduction" to Handel's Messiah,
it's an excellent audio overview of the
oratorio - breaking it down into three main
parts, (one on each disc) and each disc
covering the three sections of Messiah, with
audio samples taken from the Walker Messiah,
and one track each from various
re-arrangements, namely, the 1974 Mackerras Der Messias
(arr. Mozart), the 1926 "Crystal Palace" Henry Wood-conducted
Messiah
(arr. Michael Costa and Henry Wood); the 1946
Malcolm Sargent Messiah
(arr. Sargent); and the 1959 Thomas Beecham Messiah
(arr. Eugene Goossens) which all make their
appearance on the final disc. The
narration is well-done, with both historical,
textual and musicological examinations of the
oratorios various themes, sources, and
origins, referencing the original performers,
Handel's own changes that he made due to the
strengths of his forces, the friction which
rose between Handel and Jennens over Handel's
setting of the texts; the operatic influences
in Messiah,
the sources for the various "borrowed" pieces
within the work; and much, much more. Granted,
none of this is examined in much depth -
Abbott's narration is limited due to the
extended (although edited) audio clips which
pepper the program, but I was impressed by how
much information, and how little "fluff" the
writers were able to transcribe into each
disc. Abbott doesn't talk "down" to the
listener, but assumes a level of education and
interest in his audience that was on par with
other high-end documentary works. It
would be nice to have a program like this on
video, since visual accompaniment would
further enhance the educational and
entertainment value of this documentary.
As it is, I learned some things, and
appreciated the effort that went into making Messiah
more approachable to new listeners.
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