RECORDINGS

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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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

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


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.

The Compleat Messiah All Content Copyright © 2012 Bret D. Wheadon
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