| RECORDINGS |
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| LABEL: |
MARTINGALE |
| CATALOG
NUMBER: |
70007-2 |
| UPC
NUMBER: |
828027000724 |
| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
2 |
| RUNNING TIME: |
2:23:38 |
| YEAR
RECORDED: |
2003 |
| CD
RELEASE DATE: |
NOVEMBER
11, 2003 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
UNKNOWN |
| ORCHESTRA: |
THE
LONDON CELEBRATION ORCHESTRA |
| CHOIR: |
THE
LONDON CELEBRATION CHOIR |
| SOPRANO: |
UNKNOWN |
| CONTRALTO: |
UNKNOWN |
| TENOR: |
UNKNOWN |
| BASS: |
UNKNOWN |
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DISC ONE
1. Sinfony
2. Comfort Ye, Comfort Ye My People
3. Every Valley Shall Be Exalted
4. And the Glory of the Lord
5. Thus Saith the Lord of Hosts
6. But Who May Abide the Day of His Coming
7. And He Shall Purify the Sons of Levi
8. Behold, a Virgin Shall Conceive
9. O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings to
Zion
10. For Behold, Darkness Shall Cover the
Earth
11. The People That Walked in Darkness
12. For Unto Us a Child Is Born
13. Pastoral Symphony
14. There Were Shepherds Abiding in the
Fields
15. And the Angel Said unto Then
16. And Suddenly There Was with the Angels
17. Glory to God in the Highest
18. Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion
19. Then Shall the Eyes of the Blind Be
Opened
20. And He Shall Feed His Flock
21. His Yoke Is Easy
22. Behold the Lamb of God
23. He Was Despised and Rejected of Men
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DISC TWO
1. Surely, Has Hath Borne Our Griefs
2. And With His Stripes We Are Healed
3. All We Like Sheep Have Gone Astray
4. All They That See Him
5. He Trusted in God
6. Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart
7. Behold and See
8. He Was Cut Off Out of the Land of the
Living
9. But Thou Didst Not Leave His Soul in
Hell
10. Lift Up Your Heads
11. Unto Which of the Angels Said He at
Any Time
12. Let All the Angels of God Worship Him
13. Thou Art Gone Up on High
14. The Lord Gave the Word
15. How Beautiful Are the Feet of Them
16. Their Sound Is Gone Out into All the
Lands
17. Why Do the Nations So Furiously Rage
Together
18. Let Us Break Their Bonds Asunder
19. He That Dwelleth in Heaven
20. Thou Shalt Break Them with a Rod of
Iron
21. Hallelujah
22. I Know That My Redeemer Liveth
23. Since by Man Came Death
24. Behold, I Tell You a Mystery
25. The Trumpet Shall Sound
26. Then Shall Be Brought to Pass
27. O Death, Where Is Thy Sting
28. But Thanks Be to God
29. If God Is for Us
30. Worthy Is the Lamb/Amen
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SITE RATING: 5/10
SITE
REVIEW: This Messiah
is one of those curious releases which nobody
seems to want to claim credit for - it was
originally produced by Christian music
supplier Martingale Music (who also produced John Rutter's recording
of Messiah
with the Cambridge Singers), but there is no
information about this release on their
website. There is also no information
concerning the "London Celebration Choir &
Orchestra" who sound like a very small chamber
group of no more than about a dozen members.
There is no conductor listed, no
recording engineer, producer credit, or any
soloists listed by name. Usually when a
release like this hits the market, it's a sure
sign that it was quickly thrown together by
some studio hacks in order to dupe the public,
but this Messiah doesn't quite hit that low -
this is a legitimate choir and orchestra
performing the complete work, and although it
doesn't rate anywhere near the top of the
performance scale, it's certainly nothing to
be embarrassed about; the soloists, choir and
orchestra put on a bright, brisk show, with
tempos that are definitely on the fast side,
but with the small forces employed, everyone
stays in perfect formation. The soloists
aren't world class, but again, any good-sized
community would be proud to own them, although
the soprano is wispy on her melismas, and the
the bass lacks the compelling resonance, I
still found no glaring mistakes or flaws.
In fact, I would easily recommend this
recording over Leonard
Bernstein's or Yehudi
Menuhin's. Not one you should rush
out and purchase, but not the disaster I
expected, considering it's anonymous
parentage.
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