| RECORDINGS |
|
| LABEL: |
CASTLE
COMMUNICATIONS |
| CATALOG
NUMBER: |
CRS
CD 221 |
| UPC
NUMBER: |
5017615022124 |
| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
2 |
| RUNNING TIME: |
2:26:00 |
| YEAR
RECORDED: |
1992 |
| CD
RELEASE DATE: |
1993 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
GEORGI
ROBEV |
| ORCHESTRA: |
BULGARIAN
NATIONAL RADIO ORCHESTRA |
| CHOIR: |
BULGARIAN
NATIONAL CHOIR |
| SOPRANO: |
NADIA
DOBRIYANOVA |
| MEZZO-SOPRANO: |
ALEXANDRIA
MILCHEVA |
| TENOR: |
SVETOSLAV
OBRETENOV |
| BASS: |
UNKNOWN |
|
|
|
DISC ONE
1. Overture -
Sinfony 5.43
2. Comfort ye my people
3.28
3. Ev'ry valley shall be exalted
4.01
4. And the glory of the
Lord 3.46
5. Thus saith the Lord
1.46
6. But who may abide the day of His
coming? 5.17
7. And He shall purify
2.51
8. Behold, a Virgin shall conceive
0.33
9. O thou that tellest good
tidings 4.55
10. O thou that tellest good
tidings 2.10
11. For behold, darkness shall
cover 2.45
12. The people that walked in darkness
3.30
13. For unto us a Child is
born 4.51
14. Pastoral Symphony -
Pifa 5.06
15. There were shepherds abiding in the
fields 1.58
16. Glory to God In the
highest 2.07
17. Rejoice greatly O daughter of
Zion 5.04
18. Then shall the eyes
0.32
19. He shall feed His flock 7.38
20. His yoke is easy, and His burthen is
light 2.36
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DISC TWO
1.
Behold the Lamb of God
4.32
2. He was despised and
rejected
5.03
3. Surely, He hath borne our griefs
2.37
4. And with His stripes
3.22
5. All we like sheep have gone astray
4.3S
6. All they that see Him, laugh Him to
scorn
0.49
7. He trusted in God
2.24
8. Thy rebuke hath broken His heart
2.06
9. Behold, and see
2.11
10. He was cut off
0.25
11. But Thou didst not leave his soul in
hell 2.26
12. Lift up your heads, O ye
gates
3.35
13. How beautiful are the
feet
2.59
14. Their sound Is gone
out
1.39
15. Why do the
nations?
3.10
16. Let us break their
bonds
1.45
17. He that dwelleth in
heaven
0.16
18. Thou shall break them
2.36
19. Hallelujah!
4.58
20. I know that my Redeemer liveth
7.40
21. Since by man came
death 2.29
22. Behold, I tell you a mystery
0.37
23. The trumpet shall
sound 5.00
24. Worthy Is the Lamb
4.27
25. Amen 4.39 |
|
SITE RATING: 2/10
SITE
REVIEW: Originally
released in Great Britain under the label
Castle Communications, this performance has
since been snatched up by budget reissue
labels and marketed under a variety of
monikers. And whenever I see a classical
masterwork like Messiah being marketed by a
fly-by-night company that goes by the name
"Happy Holidays" I usually don't get my hopes
up. Further, when I see that the orchestra and
choir are from Bulgaria (the same country that
produced the inferior Naidenov
Messiah),
and that the credits on the back cover omit to
mention the identities of the tenor and bass
soloists, despite them both having a presence
on the recording, I know I'm not looking at a
quality recording. Indeed, this Messiah,
a 1992 production under the baton of Georgi
Robev, is sub-standard on every level.
The tenor soloist (I'm going to assume
that it's Svetoslav Obretenov, as his name is
listed beneath the mezzo-soprano) is
teeth-grindingly bad, with a sharp, nasal
delivery that could cut glass. The bass
soloist, unnamed in the credits, sings as if
he's chewing gum while singing at the same
time. The tempos are molasses-like, the
chorus is heavily accented and poorly mic'ed,
and the orchestra plays with all the
enthusiasm of a prisoner waiting for the
firing squad. Mezzo-soprano Alexandrina
Milcheva is achingly operatic, and the
soprano, Nadia Dobriyanova, mangles her
English to such a degree that I needed an
English/Bulgarian dictionary to make out her
text (actually, it's not just her - it's
everyone). So why am I giving this
recording two stars? First, it's really
cheap, and second, it's light years better
than Messiah
Rocks!
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