SITE RATING: 8/10
SITE REVIEW: Carl
Høgset's 1996 English-language recording of Messiah on
Norwegian label Quattro is a worthy addition to collections, with a
bright, energetic reading, generally fine singing from soloists and
choir, and fine ambient sound in this live recording. Tenor
Paul
Agnew has a pleasing tone, albeit his timbre seems more attuned to the
Broadway stage than classical literature. His arias have a
slight
"pop" sound, which may throw off baroque purists, but I found his style
different and refreshing. Mezzo-soprano Tuva Semmingsen
brings a
male-alto tone to her arias, singing "But Who May Abide" with a cool,
pitch-perfect reading. Bass Njål Sparbo is superb,
singing
with a vibrant tessatura and clean, precise melismas. Soprano
Mona Julsrud possesses a brilliant sheen to her tone, and reflects the
same icy precision of her fellow soloists. The Grex Vocalis
choir
sings with Baroque cleanness, with little in the way of vibrato or
heaviness - there are moments of pitch problems, but I account that
more to the natural flaws of a live performance rather than to any
inherent fault of the choir, who sings for the most part with unity and
thrilling beauty. The Oslo Baroque Orchestra plays with
similar
exactness, and the sound, recorded live in the Oslo Ris Church is rich
and full. Høgset's direction is tight, and the
only fault
I can find with the performance as a whole is that it suffers from the
sterility of feeling that can afflict Messiah when Baroque stylings are
given weight over the textual demands of the work. Still,
this is
a valuable recording of Messiah, although difficult to attain for those
outside of Norway.
|
