| RECORDINGS |
|
| LABEL: |
NAXOS |
| CATALOG
NUMBER: |
8.570131-32 |
| UPC
NUMBER: |
747313013173 |
| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
2 |
| RUNNING TIME: |
2:22:19 |
| YEAR
RECORDED: |
2006 |
| CD
RELEASE DATE: |
OCTOBER
31, 2006 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
EDWARD
HIGGINBOTTOM |
| ORCHESTRA: |
ACADEMY
OF ANCIENT MUSIC |
| CHOIR: |
CHOIR
OF NEW COLLEGE, OXFORD |
| TREBLES: |
HENRY
JENKINSON, OTTA JONES, ROBERT
BROOKS |
| COUNTERTENOR: |
IESTYN
DAVIES |
| TENOR: |
TOBY
SPENCE |
| BASS: |
EAMONN
DOUGAN |
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| AUDIO SAMPLES |
HIGHLIGHTS |
OTHER
RELEASES |
CLICK HERE
TO LISTEN
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NONE
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DISC ONE
1. Sinfonia
2. Accompanied recitative. Comfort ye,
my people
3. Aria. Every valley shall be exalted
4. Chorus. And the glory of the Lord
5. Accompanied recitative. Thus saith
the Lord of Hosts
6. Aria. But who may abide the day of
His coming
7. Chorus. And He shall purify
8. Recitative. Behold, a virgin shall
conceive, and bear a son
9. Aria and Chorus. O thou that tellest
good tidings to Zion
10. Accompanied recitative. For behold,
darkness shall cover the earth
11. Aria. The people that walked in
darkness
12. Chorus. For unto us a Child is born
13. Pifa
14. Accompanied recitative. There were
shepherds abiding in the field
15. Chorus. Glory to God in the highest
16. Aria. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of
Zion
17. Recitative. Then shall the eyes of
the blind be opened
18. Aria. He shall feed His flock like a
shepherd
19. Chorus. His yoke is easy, His
burthen is light
20. Chorus. Behold, the Lamb of God
21. Aria. He was despised and rejected
of men
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DISC TWO
1. Chorus. Surely He hath
borne our griefs and carried our sorrows
2. Chorus. And with His stripes we are
healed
3. Chorus. All we like sheep have gone
astray
4. Accompanied recitative. All they that
see Him, laugh Him to scorn
5. Chorus. He trusted in God that He
would deliver Him
6. Accompanied recitative. Thy rebuke
hath broken His heart
7. Aria. Behold, and see if there be any
sorrow like unto His sorrow
8. Accompanied recitative. He was cut
off out of the land of the living
9. Aria. But thou didst not leave His
soul in hell
10. Chorus. Lift up your heads, O ye
gates
11. Recitative. Unto which of the angels
said He at any time
12. Chorus. Let all the angels of God
worship Him
13. Aria. Thou art gone up on high
14. Chorus. The Lord gave the word
15. Aria. How beautiful are the feet of
them that preach the gospel of peace
16. Chorus. Their sound is gone out into
all lands
17. Aria. Why do the nations so
furiously rage together
18. Recitative. He that dwelleth in
heaven shall laugh them to scorn
19. Aria. Thou shalt break them with a
rod of iron
20. Chorus. Hallelujah
21. Aria. I know that my redeemer liveth
22. Chorus. Since by man came death
23. Accompanied recitative. Behold, I
tell you a mystery
24. Aria. The trumpet shall sound
25. Recitative. Then shall be brought to
pass the saying that is written
26. Duet. O death, where is thy sting
27. Aria. If God is for us, who can be
against us
28. Chorus. Worthy is the Lamb that was
slain
29. Chorus. Amen
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SITE RATING: 9/10
SITE
REVIEW: The raison
d'être for this recording of Handel's Messiah
is ostensibly to recreate a specific series of
historic performances, namely, Handel's 1751
London concerts in which he used boy trebles
not only for the choruses, but for the arias
as well. It certainly creates a
different listening experience for Messiah,
but the real reason to seek out this
particular recording is the mastery of the
all-around performance. The Choir of New
College, Oxford, is a premiere boy choir, and
their conductor, Edward Higginbottom expertly
navigates the many perils of the oratorio to
create one of the most pleasing, unique
recordings of Messiah in the repertoire.
Of course, it helps if you're a fan of
the treble sound, which imparts a childish
piping sound into the choruses, a curious
youthfulness into what most people regard as a
serious, mature, classical work. To hear
young boys singing Messiah with such expertness
and beauty should be an eye opener for anyone
inured to the common perception about modern
youth. The soloists here are fine - with
special notice to Iestyn Davies, who again
shows his mastery as one of the premiere
countertenors of his generation; and Eamonn
Dougan gives a very pleasing lightness and
deftness to the bass solos, eschewing the
throaty heaviness usually associated with this
role. The Academy of Ancient Music, on
period instruments, is expert in interpreting
Messiah
under Higginbottom's sure hand. A first
recommendation. ~ BDW
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