RECORDINGS

LABEL: CHANDOS CHACONNE
CATALOG NUMBER: 0522-2
UPC NUMBER: 095115052228
NUMBER OF DISCS: 2
RUNNING TIME: 75:27, 64:24
YEAR RECORDED: 1991
CD RELEASE DATE: JULY 29, 1992
CONDUCTOR: RICHARD HICKOX
ORCHESTRA: COLLEGIUM MUSICUM 90
CHOIR: COLLEGIUM MUSICUM 90
SOPRANO: JOAN RODGERS
MEZZO-SOPRANO: DELLA JONES
COUNTER-TENOR: CHRISTOPHER ROBSON
TENOR: PHILIP LANGRIDGE
BASS: BRYN TERFEL

AUDIO SAMPLES HIGHLIGHTS OTHER RELEASES



DISC ONE

1 Part 1. Sinfony       3:08
2 Part 1. Comfort ye     2:49
3 Part 1. Ev'ry valley     3:06
4 Part 1. And the glory     2:47
5 Part 1. Thus saith the Lord     1:24
6 Part 1. But who may abide?     4:21
7 Part 1. And He shall purify     2:16
8 Part 1. Behold, a virgin     0:27
9 Part 1. O thou that tellest     5:21
10 Part 1. For behold, darkness     2:00
11 Part 1. The people that walked     3:39
12 Part 1. For unto us     3:49
13 Part 1. Pastoral Symphony     0:56
14 Part 1. There were shepherds     0:12
15 Part 1. And lo, the angel of the Lord     0:19
16 Part 1. And the angel said unto them     0:30
17 Part 1. And suddenly     0:18
18 Part 1. Glory to God     1:56
19 Part 1. Rejoice greatly     4:15
20 Part 1. Then shall the eyes     0:26
21 Part 1. And He shall feed his flock     5:08
22 Part 1. His yoke is easy     2:08
23 Part 2. Behold the Lamb of God     3:28
24 Part 2. He was despised     12:20
25 Part 2. Surely, He hath borne     2:02
26 Part 2. And with His stripes     2:07
27 Part 2. All we like sheep     3:48
 DISC TWO

1 Part 2. All they that see Him       0:47
2 Part 2. He trusted in God     2:05
3 Part 2. Thy rebuke hath broken His heart     1:30
4 Part 2. Behold, and see     1:18
5 Part 2. He was cut off     0:13
6 Part 2. But Thou didst not leave     2:05
7 Part 2. Lift up your heads     3:06
8 Part 2. Unto which of the angels     0:12
9 Part 2. Let all the angels     1:31
10 Part 2. Thou art gone up on high     3:06
11 Part 2. The Lord gave the word     1:09
12 Part 2. How beautiful are the feet     2:19
13 Part 2. Their sound is gone out     1:30
14 Part 2. Why do the nations     2:44
15 Part 2. Let us break their bonds asunder     1:42
16 Part 2. He that dwelleth in heaven     0:10
17 Part 2. Thou shalt break them     2:02
18 Part 2. Hallelujah     3:51
19 Part 3. I know that my redeemer liveth     5:55
20 Part 3. Since by man came death     2:18
21 Part 3. Behold, I tell you a mystery     0:39
22 Part 3. The trumpet shall sound     8:58
23 Part 3. Then shall be brought to pass     0:15
24 Part 3. O death, where is thy sting     1:04
25 Part 3. But thanks be to God     2:13
26 Part 3. If God be for us     4:48
27 Part 3. Worthy is the Lamb     7:45
SITE RATING:  7/10
SITE REVIEW:  Richard Hickox's 1991 Messiah on Chandos has all of the individual parts to create a really fine performance, but for one reason or the other, the separate ingredients don't gel.  A very young Bryn Terfel received top billing here, which is surprising, since he hadn't yet broken big in the States by 1991; and despite his marvelous resonance, he's not at his full interpretive power yet, and doesn't command the stage, or even stand out from the soloists; that honor goes to tenor Philip Langridge, who give a commanding, thrilling vocal masterclass in his arias. Soprano Joan Rodgers has a trilling, flute-like tone that I found distracting, with a quick, fluttering vibrato. The Collegium Musicum 90 Orchestra and Chorus are fine, but don't sound fully invested in the work; and Richard Hickox's fluctuating tempos don't help; rather than serve the individual movements, they sound misplaced, as if the musical 'deck of cards' got reshuffled. Overall, a unsettled, dissatisfying Messiah that has many fine individual elements, but doesn't come together into a pleasing whole.

On a related note - for years this recording has also been pirated by various shady labels under an anonymous conductor's  nom-de-plume of "Serge Baudo" (or "Baude") and the Royal Music College of Edinburgh, and I had listed that recording separately on this site (and given it a slightly higher rating, by the way - probably due to the mystery surrounding it) - but was happily informed of the true identity of its artists by Kent Appleberry who referred me to a user review on Amazon.  I have merged the two recordings now, and warn any purchasers that the Chandos release is technically far superior (and with the artists correctly attributed) than any other release.

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