SITE RATING: 3/10
SITE
REVIEW: Claudio
Scimone's 1989 Messiah seems neither fish
nor fowl, with singers who all appear to be
over-emoting, tempos that are often far too
brisk, and a frenetic feel that makes this one
of the more unsettled Messiahs
to be available. Of the soloists,
Scimone has chosen from the world of opera,
with wide vibratos and powerful (even
overpowering) projections. I enjoyed
tenor Bruce Ford most of all of them - he has
a lovely tone and maintains the least amount
of vibrato of all the soloists; the Ambrosian
Chorus isn't as effective here as on other
recordings they've appeared on, with
occasional over-singing and disunity; and the
I Solisti Veniti orchestra plays admirably,
with the caveat that under Scimone's highly
idiosyncratic direction, they sound much worse
than may be their due. Scimone's tempos
are all over the map - he often departs from a
set tempo entirely, which in the right hands,
can be an effective dramatic touch, but here,
it simply sounds like a Messiah with a severe
personality disorder. Scimone races, and
jumps, and changes course too often, and with
too little motivation, creating an effect
simply for the effect's sake, rather than for
textual or musical reasons. The overall
effect is of a heightened nervous compulsion,
making this one of the least appealing Messiahs
to be on the market.
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