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RECORDINGS |
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| LABEL: |
PRIVATE ISSUE |
| CATALOG NUMBER: |
N/A |
| UPC NUMBER: |
N/A |
| NUMBER
OF DISCS: |
2 |
| RUNNING
TIME: |
75:48, 60:12 |
| YEAR RECORDED: |
2003 |
| CD RELEASE DATE: |
2003 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
MARTIN SMITH |
| ORCHESTRA: |
THE
ORCHESTRA OF THE AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT |
| CHOIR: |
THE CHOIR OF THE ENLIGHTENMENT |
| SOPRANO: |
CAROLYN SAMPSON |
| TENOR: |
MARK PADMORE |
| COUNTERTENOR: |
ROBIN BLAZE |
| BASS-BARITONE: |
GERALD FINLEY |
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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
1. Sinfony
2. Comfort ye my people
3. Every valley shall be exalted
4. And the glory of the Lord
5. Thus saith the Lord
6. But who may abide
7. And He shall purify
8. Behold, a virgin shall conceive
9. O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion
10. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth
11. The people that walked in darkness
12. For unto us a child is born
13. PIFA (Pastoral Symphony)
14. And there were shepherds
15. And the angel said unto them
16. And suddenly there was with the angel
17. Glory to God
18. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion
19. Then shall the eyes of the blind
20. He shall feed His flock
21. His yoke is easy
22. Behold the Lamb of God
23. He was despised
24. Surely He hath borne our griefs
25. And with his stripes we are healed
26. All we, like sheep have gone astray
27. All they that see Him laugh Him to scorn
28. He trusted in God
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DISC
TWO
1. Thy rebuke hath broken His heart
2. Behold and see
3. He was cut off
4. But thou didst not leave
5. Lift up your heads, O ye gates
6. Thou art gone up on high
7. The Lord gave the word
8. How beautiful are the feet
9. Why do the nations
10. Let us break their bonds
11. He that dwelleth in heaven
12. Thou shalt break them
13. Hallelujah
14. I know that my Redeemer liveth
15. Since by man came death
16. Behold, I tell you a mystery
17. The trumpet shall sound
18. If God be for us, who can be against us
19. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
20. Amen
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SITE RATING: 8/10
SITE REVIEW:
A 2003 recording under the baton of Martin Smith with the
Orchestra and Choir of the Age of Enlightenment, this is a stellar live
concert by impressive forces. The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment is, by
their own admission, an adventuresome group, eschewing many of the
conventions of traditional orchestras, and following their own muse,
having neither a standing conductor, nor a set repertoire. Their
derring-do spirit permeates this performance from beginning to end,
with vivid orchestral colors, electrifying playing, and world-class
soloists. Mark Padmore is a commanding tenor, giving great verve
to his arias, while bass Gerlad Finley and countertenor Robin Blaze are
both electrifying in their respective moments, giving fully-investing
readings during their solos. Soprano Carolyn Sampson is also
simply breathtaking with the power and purity of her vocals, giving
some of the most assured, ringing arias I've heard. The
separate-but-aligned Choir of the Enlightenment is equal to their
sister orchestra in every way, with clear, balanced singing, containing
both power and gentleness in the choruses, with perfect tones in the
high and low registers. Tempos throughout are kept bright and
dancing, with a sense of unbridled energy and joy present throughout.
The only caveat with this performance is the recording, which,
recorded live at The Banqueting House, Whitehall, is somewhat distant
and muddy; not impenetrably so, but much detail is lost in the acoustic
of the hall. But the engineers have done an admirable job of
balancing the forces, and despite present, and occasionally distracting
audience noise, this remains a stellar Messiah, unfortunately limited to a
privately-released "Souvenir" edition which I stumbled upon by sheer
chance.
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