SITE RATING: 10/10
SITE
REVIEW: Sargent's 1959
Messiah
is easily the best of the trio which he
recorded in his lifetime. The tempos are
moderate, the sound is brilliantly remastered
and clear, the soloists are sparkling, and the
Huddersfield Choral Society and Royal
Liverpool Philharmonic are large and grand
without being weighty, and best of all,
everyone seems fully invested in the text.
The soloists are especially fine here,
with Marjorie Thomas giving a thrilling vocal
performance, not "technically" proficient,
especially by today's high standards, but her
tone and investment in the part is stunning;
the same can be said of bass James Milligan,
who has a wondrous tessitura, and tenor
Richard Lewis is not behind him one whit.
Soprano Elsie Morison is equally
invested, and sings the part as if it was
written expressly for her. This is a
truly expansive recording, with the choir and
orchestra sounding as if they were recording
within a huge cathedral - there's a presence
and vibrancy to the sound that is thrilling to
hear. The remastering here is beautiful,
with great depth and warmth captured in the
sound - this recording stands easily as one of
my favorites of the large, old-school Messiahs.
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