| RECORDINGS |
|
| LABEL: |
ONDA |
| CATALOG
NUMBER: |
N/A |
| UPC
NUMBER: |
0630971000015 |
| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
2 |
| RUNNING TIME: |
UNKNOWN |
| YEAR
RECORDED: |
1995 |
| CD
RELEASE DATE: |
OCTOBER
15, 1996 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
JEANNETTE
SORRELL |
| ORCHESTRA: |
THE
CLEVELAND BAROQUE ORCHESTRA |
| CHOIR: |
APOLLO'S
SINGERS |
| SOPRANO: |
JULIANNE
BAIRD, CHRISTINE BRANDES |
| COUNTERTENOR: |
STEVEN
RICKARDS |
| TENOR: |
QUENTIN
QUEREAU |
| BASS: |
DEAN
ELY, MICHAEL MCMURRAY |
|
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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
9. Othou that tellest
10. For behold, darkness
11. The people that walked
12. For unto us a child is born
13. Pifa
14. There were shepherds
15. Glory to God
16. Rejoice greatly
17. Then shall the eyes
18. He shall feed his flock
19. His yoke is easy
20. Behold the Lamb of God
21. He was despised
22. Surely He hath borne our grief
23. And with His stripes we are healed
24. All we like sheep have gone astray
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DISC TWO
1. All they that see Him
2. He trusted in God
3. Thou art gone up on high
4. The Lord gave the word
5. How beautiful are the feet
6. Why do nations rage so furiously?
7. Let us break their bonds asunder
8. He that dwelleth in heaven
9. Thou shalt break them
10. Hallelujah
11. I know my Redeemer liveth
12. Since by man came death
13. Behold, I tell you a mystery
14. The trumpet shall sound
15. Then shall be brought to pass
16. O death, where is thy sting?
17. But thanks to God
18. If God be for us
19. Worthy is the Lamb
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SITE RATING: 6/10
SITE
REVIEW: A good
"regional" recording of Messiah,
most surprising to me was the knowledge that
Cleveland boasts a Baroque orchestra, Apollo's
Fire, who regularly record and perform.
This recording suffers from the ailment
of most recordings of this type: taken from
live performances, it suffers most from the
omnipresent live atmosphere - there is
definite distance between the choir and
orchestra, and noticable audience noise
present. The other distraction is harder
to quantify, other than to say that despite
the group being very good for their city, and
perhaps their region, on a larger scale this
recording simply doesn't stand up well against
other, starrier Messiahs. The
soloists, orchestra, choir, and director all
have limitations in talent which are amplified
when compared to Messiahs with greater
firepower. The conductor, Jeannette
Sorrell, is boasted as being an early-music
expert, but her reading seems strangly
idiosyncratic, with more florid, languid
moments and heavy strokes instead of the
light, quick apporach I'd expect from a period
instrument performance. The soloists are
varied in their abilities, with basses Dean
Ely and Michael McMurray boasting impressive
resonances, while counter-tenor Steven
Rickards has an odd, ghostly tone which I
found distracting, and not entirely pleasant.
Also important to note is the severe
cuts which Sorrell made in the oratorio's
second part, leaving this recording wanting
for those desiring to hear the compete work.
An intriguing, but not wholly satisfying
performance.
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