| RECORDINGS |
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| LABEL: |
ERATO
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| CATALOG
NUMBER: |
5419774160
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| UPC
NUMBER: |
UNKNOWN
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| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
3 (2CD+DVD)
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| RUNNING TIME: |
UNKNOWN
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| YEAR
RECORDED: |
2023
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| CD
RELEASE DATE: |
NOVEMBER 24, 2023
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| CONDUCTOR: |
JOHN NELSON
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| ORCHESTRA: |
THE ENGLISH CONCERT
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| CHOIR: |
THE ENGLISH CONCERT
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| SOPRANO: |
LUCY CROWE
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| COUNTER-TENOR: |
ALEX POTTER
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| TENOR: |
MICHAEL SPYRES
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| BARITONE: |
MATTHEW BROOK
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| AUDIO SAMPLES |
HIGHLIGHTS |
OTHER
RELEASES |
NONE
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NONE
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NONE
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DISC ONE
Part the First
1 3.33 Sinfony (Grave - Allegro
moderato)
2 Accompanied recitative Comfort ye my
people tenor 2.48
3 Air Ev'ry valley shall be exalted
tenor 3.20
4 Chorus And the glory of the Lord shall
be revealed 2.29
5 Accompanied recitative Thus saith the
Lord of Hosts bass 1.25
6 Air But who may abide the day of His
coming? alto 4.19
7 Chorus And he shall purify 2.25
8 Recitative Behold, a virgin shall
conceive alto 0.25
9 Air & Chorus 0 thou that tellest
good tidings to Zion alto 5.06
10 Accompanied recitative For behold,
darkness shall cover the earth bass 1.49
11 Air The people that walked in
darkness bass 3.24
12 Chorus For unto us a child is born
4.05
13 Pifa (Larghetto e mezzo piano) 2.32
14 Recitative There were shepherds
abiding in the field soprano 0.17
15 Accompanied recitative And lo, the
angel of the Lord came upon them soprano
0.18
16 Recitative And the angel said unto
them soprano 0.30
17 Accompanied recitative And suddenly
there was with the angel soprano 0.15
18 Chorus Glory to God in the highest
1.49
19 Air Rejoice greatly, 0 daughter of
Zion soprano 4.25
20 Recitative Then shall the eyes of the
blind be open'd alto 0.28
21 Duet He shall feed His flock like a
shepherd alto • soprano 4.51
22 Chorus His yoke is easy, His burthen
is light 2.15
Part the Second
23 Chorus Behold the Lamb of God 3.36
24 Air He was despised alto 10.36
25 Chorus Surely He hath borne our
griefs 2.12
26 Chorus And with His stripes we are
healed 2.11
27 Chorus All we, like sheep, have gone
astray 3.48
28 Accompanied recitative All they that
see Him laugh Him to scorn tenor 0.40
29 Chorus He trusted in God 2.05
30 Accompanied recitative Thy rebuke
hath broken His heart tenor 1.53
31 Arioso Behold, and see, if there be
any sorrow tenor 1.31
32 Accompanied recitative He was cut off
out of the land of the living tenor 0.16
33 Air But Thou didst not leave His soul
in hell tenor 2.13
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DISC TWO
34 Chorus Lift up your heads, 0 ye gates
2.57
35 Recitative Unto which of the angels
said He at any time tenor 0.13
36 Chorus Let all the angels of God
worship Him 1.29
37 Air Thou art gone up on high alto
3.10
38 Chorus The Lord gave the word 1.04
39 Duet How beautiful are the feet 2
altos 1.01 Alto IC Rory McCleery
countertenor
40 Chorus Break forth into joy 2.09
41 Chorus Their sound is gone out into
all lands 1.26
42 Air Why do the nations so furiously
rage together? bass 2.51
43 Chorus Let us break their bonds
asunder 1.34
44 Recitative He that dwelleth in heaven
tenor 0.10
45 Air Thou shalt break them with a rod
of iron tenor 1.59
46 Chorus Hallelujah! 3.43
Part the Third
47 Air I know that my Redeemer liveth
soprano 5.40
48 Chorus Since by man came death 2.07
49 Accompanied recitative Behold, I tell
you a mystery bass 0.40
50 Air The trumpet shall sound bass 8.46
51 Recitative Then shall be brought to
pass the saying alto 0.17
52 Duet 0 death, where is thy sting?
alto • tenor 1.37
53 Chorus But thanks be to God 2.03
54 Air If God be for us, who can be
against us? soprano 4.40
55 Chorus Worthy is the Lamb that was
slain - Amen 7.25
Alternative Arias
56 Air But who may abide the day of His
coming? (1741) bass 3.13
57 Arioso But lo, the angel of the Lord
came upon them (1743) soprano 1.37
58 Air Rejoice greatly, 0 daughter of
Zion (1741) soprano 6.05
59 Air Thou art gone up on high (1741)
bass 3.12
60 Air Thou art gone up on high (1743)
soprano 2.58
61 Air How beautiful are the feet (1741)
soprano 4.50
62 Air How beautiful are the feet (1750)
alto 3.12
63 Air Their sound is gone out into all
lands (1743) tenor 1.08
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SITE RATING: 9/10
SITE
REVIEW: Taken from a
live performance at St. Michael's Cathedral in
November, 2022, The English Concert &
Choir under the sure baton of John Nelson give
a clean, mannered, polite reading of Messiah
which is so very English that if you're at all
an anglophile (as I am), this should ring your
bell. All of the players and singers are
expressive and highly proficient, with
beautifully unified readings of every single
movement. Tenor Michael Spyres is
magnificent, if somewhat juicy and florid in
his melismas - but with such delicacy and
control that every aria is quite
delicious. The English Concert Choir is
youthful and wonderfully plush in their sound
- large enough to give some heft to the
choruses, but small enough to not sound
ponderous or weighty. Matthew Brook is
similarly impressive - with an intense,
buzzing resonance to his tone which gives his
arias a biting ferocity which is
welcome. Counter-tenor Alex Potter is
smooth and ethereal, and thankfully free of
the odd "uncanny valley" sound which mars some
performances. I still prefer female
singers in this role, but his tone and vocal
presence are lovely. Soprano Lucy Crowe
has a warm, clear tone, and her performance is
perhaps the most expressive and felt.
Her perfect tone center and sensitivity to the
text is highly commendable. Nelson's
tempi are on the moderate side throughout, (in
the video, he's seated throughout the
performance) and this robs some of the more
exciting moments of their intensity, but it's
all so beautifully sung and played that the
oratorio never slips into maudlin
territory. The CD also includes an
addendum of Alternative Arias which showcase
how Messiah has been adapted and altered over
the course of it's existence. The DVD
which accompanies this CD is the complete
performance, professionally filmed from
multiple angles, and is a wonderful addition
to this set. Highly recommended.
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