| RECORDINGS |
|
| LABEL: |
SIGNUM
CLASSICS |
| CATALOG
NUMBER: |
SIGCD246 |
| UPC
NUMBER: |
0635212024621 |
| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
2 |
| RUNNING TIME: |
71:17;
67:01 |
| DATE
RECORDED: |
DECEMBER
2010 |
| CD
RELEASE
DATE: |
MARCH
28,
2011 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
JANE
GLOVER |
| ORCHESTRA: |
NORTHERN
SINFONIA |
| CHOIR: |
HUDDERSFIELD
CHORAL
SOCIETY |
| SOPRANO: |
ELIZABETH
WATTS |
| ALTO: |
CATHERINE
WYN-ROGERS |
| TENOR: |
MARK
LE
BROCQ |
| BASS: |
JAMES
OLDFIELD |
|
|
|
DISC ONE
1. Christians awake! salute
the happy morn, Christmas hymn
2. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.
Sinfony
3. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.
Accompagnato. Comfort Ye
4. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.
Song. Every Valley
5. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.
Chorus. And the Glory of the Lord
6. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.
Accompagnato. Thus saith the Lord
7. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.
Song. But who may abide
8. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.
Chorus. And He shall purify
9. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.
Recitative. Behold, a virgin shall
conceive
10. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.
Song & Chorus. O thou that tellest
good tidings to Zion
11. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.
Accompagnato. For behold, darkness shall
cover the earth
12. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.
Accompagnato. The people that walked in
darkness
13. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.
Chorus. For unto us a Child is born
14. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.
Pifa (Pastoral Symphony)
15. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.
Recitative. There were shepherds /
Accompagnato. And lo, the Angel of the
Lord / Recitative
16. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.
Accompagnato. And suddenly there was
with the Angel
17. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.
Chorus. Glory to God in the highest
18. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.
Song. Rejoice greatly
19. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.
Recitative. Then shall the eyes of the
blind / Song. He shall feed His flock
20. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.
Chorus. His yoke is easy
21. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.
Chorus. Behold the Lamb of God
22. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.
Song. He was despised
|
DISC TWO
1. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56:
Part 2. Chorus. Surely, He hath borne
our griefs
2. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.
Chorus. And with His stripes
3. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.
Chorus. All we like sheep have gone
astray
4. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.
Accompagnato. All they that see Him
5. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.
Chorus. He trusted in God
6. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.
Accompagnato. Thy rebuke hath broken His
heart
7. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.
Song. Behold and see
8. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.
Accompagnato. He was cut off
9. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.
Song. But Thou didst not leave
10. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.
Chorus. Lift up your heads
11. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.
Song. Thou art gone up on high
12. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.
Chorus. The Lord gave the word
13. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.
Song. How beautiful are the feet
14. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.
Chorus. Their sound is gone out into all
lands
15. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.
Song. Why do the nations so furiously
rage
16. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.
Chorus. Let us break their bonds asunder
17. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.
Song. Thou shalt break them
18. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.
Chorus. Hallelujah!
19. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3.
Song. I know that my Redeemer liveth
20. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3.
Chorus. Since by man came death
21. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3.
Accompagnato. Behold, I tell you a
mystery
22. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3.
Song. The trumpet shall sound
23. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3.
Recitative. Then shall be brought to
pass / Duet. O death, where is thy
sting?
24. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3.
Chorus. But thanks be to God
25. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3.
Song. If God be for us
26. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3.
Chorus. Amen
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SITE RATING: 5/10
SITE
REVIEW: To say that I
was disappointed in Signum Classics new
release of Handel's is perhaps a bit of an
understatement. Not that it's a terrible
performance, but I was shocked that it's so
mundane. Having been spoiled on recent
releases by Frieder
Bernius, Stephen
Layton, and Jeannette
Sorrell, and having heard
wonderful performances out of the Huddersfield
Choral Society under Harry
Christophers, I was expecting something
sharper, more potent. But this live
recording, under the baton of Jane
Glover, has no strong vision to its
construction, the soloists sound strained and
unfocused, and the Huddersfield Choral Society
struggles with small intonation problems
throughout; and the entire recording sounds a
touch bleary. Tenor Mark Le Brocq (who
was sublime under Jurgen
Budday's Messiah) sounds more muscled
here, a problem which hampers all the
soloists, as if they're having to project
under natural acoustics, and are pushing their
sound out more. Catherine Wyn-Rogers,
who also appeared with the Huddersfield Choral
Society on the Christophers set, sounds past
her prime here, with a throatier sound and
wider vibrato, while Elizabeth Watts sounds
strained and a bit brittle. James
Oldfield brings great blustering force to his
bass arias, but his timbre thins out in his
lower register. Glovers tempos are
neither hot nor cold, but a lackluster
middle-ground which didn't engage. The
Huddersfield Choral Society sounds thicker and
older here than previous recordings, and their
mic'ing is also weighted towards the upper
voices, leaving the lower end sadly lacking in
the mix, and certain melismas disappear in the
muddy blend. The concert does boast an
unusual "extra" - namely a performance of John
Wainwright's "Christians Awake" which I felt
added a jarring invocation to the listening
experience. A recording that hearkens
back to recordings from the Fifties and
Sixties, and which falls decidedly in the
middle of the expanding roster of Messiahs.
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