SITE RATING: 5/10
SITE
REVIEW: When
approaching a work that you're unfamiliar
with, there are two basic approaches: 1.)
Don't listen to other's versions, in order to
keep your work fresh and unaffected by others'
interpretations, or 2.) immerse yourself
deeply in what's gone before, and then choose
the best parts for your own vision. Marc
Minkowski, who professes not to have been
familiar with Messiah before this
recording project, opted for the first
approach, which can be rewarding if the
director brings something new to the
interpretation, but in Minkowski's hands, Messiah
becomes a farce. It's certainly not the
fault of the French orchestra and choir, who
are certainly more familiar with Handel's
demands than their director; and you cannot
fault the army of soloists which Minkowski
saddles himself with - no less than eight
soloists, with Lynn Dawson and John Mark
Ainsley leading the pack of experienced
Handellians. No, the fault is supremely
Minkowski's who defies all conventions (which
he may have hoped for) and common sense (which
I doubt he anticipated) in his tempos -
especially on the choruses, which he speeds
along as if all the hounds of hell were
chasing after him. The rapidity of the
tempos goes against not only the demands of
the piece, but against all natural sense -
what possible reason could there be to direct
"For Unto Us A Child Is Born" as if in a blind
panic? The soloists and choir and
orchestra should be applauded for their
virtuosity in keeping up with Markowski's
demands, but unless you're a completist, this
Messiah
is simply a curiosity piece, not an essential.
|
