SITE RATING: 7/10
SITE
REVIEW: A bold, brash
Messiah by
Valentin
Radu and the forces of the Ama Deus Ensemble,
and proclaiming itself a performance of the
1749 London Covent Garden concert, this
recording has what sounds like a huge chip on
its shoulder, with violently aggressive
soloists, tempos, and attacks that left me a
little bit breathless, and a little
nonplussed, as well. Radu's
interpretation of Messiah will certainly be
cause for discussion among Handellians, with
his idiosyncratic approach, which either takes
the Baroque tradition to its emotional
extreme, or in another light, dismisses it
entirely in favor of an entirely new
direction. Under Radu's direction, Messiah
is performed with a Beethovian fury; tenor
David Price holds nothing back in his sharp,
biting entrance, and bass Kevin Deas seems
ready to meet him head-on with his aggressive,
hard-bitten attack. The Ama Deus Choir
takes the choruses and delivers sharp dynamics
and odd breaks in the line, which emphasizes
certain words in ways that have never been
attempted before. After the opening
salvo, it's a small relief when Jennifer Lane
begins the relatively quiet "But Who May
Abide" - but it's a short rest - Radu launches
her into a blistering second chorus.
Everything is performed with a
clenched-teeth attitude that's fascinating to
listen to, but ultimately proves to be
entirely the wrong approach to Messiah;
Radu's recording is more akin to Dante's Inferno
than the promise of salvation. I cannot
fault the playing or singing, although several
times I believed David Price was merely
showing off his (impressive) vocal prowess
rather than serving the text. A
defiantly stubborn, brutish take, which will
certainly appeal to a certain segment of
listeners.
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