RECORDINGS

LABEL: COLLECTION PAUL KUENTZ
CATALOG NUMBER: CPK500061
UPC NUMBER: 002064744034
NUMBER OF DISCS: 2
RUNNING TIME: 2:24:17
YEAR RECORDED: 1989
CD RELEASE DATE: 2009
CONDUCTOR: PAUL KUENTZ
ORCHESTRA: PAUL KUENTZ CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
CHOIR: PAUL KUENTZ CHOIR
SOPRANO: BARBARA SCHLICK
COUNTERTENOR: JEAN NIROUET
TENOR: ALEXANDER STEVENSON
BASS: PHILLIP LANGSHAW

AUDIO SAMPLES HIGHLIGHTS OTHER RELEASES
DISC ONE

1. Symphony     3:09       
2. Comfort Ye     2:41       
3. Ev'ry Valley      3:23       
4. and the Glory of the Lord      2:59       
5. Thus Saith the Lord     1:29       
6. But Who May Abide     4:52       
7. and He Shall Purify      2:37       
8. Behold, a Virgin Shall Conceive      0:27       
9. O Thou that Tellest Good Tiddings to Zion      3:45       
10. O Thou that Tellest Good Tiddings to Zion      1:38       
11. for Behold, Darkness Shall Cover the Earth      1:29       
12. the People That Walked in Darkness      3:20       
13. for Unto Us a Child Is Born      4:08       
14. Pastoral Symphony     3:59       
15. There Were Shepherds Abiding in the Field      1:47       
16. Glory to God      2:09       
17. Rejoice Greatly      4:33       
18. Then Shall the Eyes of the Blind Be Opened      0:34       
19. He Shall Feed His Flock      4:46       
20. His Yoke Is Easy      2:27       
21. Behold the Lamb of God 10:40
 DISC TWO
1. Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs  2:00        
2. and With His Stripes  1:51        
3. All We, Like Sheep  3:44        
4. All They That See Him Laugh Him to Scorn  0:46        
5. He Trusted in God  2:22        
6. Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart  1:47        
7. Behold and See  1:24        
8. He Was Cut Off  0:22        
9. But Thou Didst Not Leave  2:19        
10. Lift Up Ye Heads, O Ye Gates  3:16        
11. Unto Which of the Angels  0:20        
12. Let All the Angels of God Workship Him  1:30        
13. Thou Art Woke Up On High  3:18        
14. the Lord Gave the Word  1:11        
15. How Beautiful Are the Feet  2:07        
16. Their Sound Is Gone Out  1:32        
17. Why Do the Nations  2:55        
18. Let Us Break Their Bonds Asunder  1:56        
19. He That Dwelleth in Heaven  0:17        
20. Thou Shalt Break Them  2:05        
21. Hallelujah  3:57        
22. I Know That My Redeemer Liveth  5:25        
23. Since By Man Came Death  2:01        
24. Behold, I Tell You a Mystery  0:44        
25. the Trumpet Shall Sound  8:53        
26. Then Shall Be Brought to Pass  0:24        
27. Oh Death, Where Is Thy Sting ?  1:07        
28. But Thanks Be to God  2:11        
29. If God Be for Us  4:40        
30. Worthy Is the Lamb  7:18
SITE RATING:  2/10
SITE REVIEW:  Conductor Paul Keuntz may have the financial wherewithall to fund his own "vanity" chamber orchestra and choir, but based on this recording, I'm not going to go rushing out and discover more of his recordings.  Keuntz's tempos are all over the map, and he gives odd emphasis to the downbeats and closing moments of phrases; the chorus is disunified, out of tune, and has strong French accents which bludgeon Handel's English to a painful degree; the soloists are generally amateurish (including countertenor Jean Nirouet's shrill, unpleasant tone), and the chamber orchestra is out of tune and muffs notes (including some obvious mis-steps by the trumpeters during the "Hallelujah" chorus).  Tenor Alexander Stevenson feels the need for pointless ornamentation, and soprano Barbara Schlick posesses a bright, quick vibrato which grated on my nerves.  Strong points include bass Phillip Langshaw, (but even he goes notably out of tune in his upper register); and the rare moments when everything gels - but those points are very few and far between.  This is an obviously low-budget affair, most probably caught in a live performance, with no time taken to fix pointed mistakes.  Avoid, avoid, avoid - unless you absolutely need to hear a backwater French ensemble butcher a baroque masterpiece.

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