| RECORDINGS |
|
| LABEL: |
BPO RECORDINGS
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| CATALOG
NUMBER: |
UNKNOWN
|
| UPC
NUMBER: |
UNKNOWN
|
| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
2
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
1:29:12
|
| YEAR
RECORDED: |
2017
|
| CD
RELEASE DATE: |
JANUARY 18, 2018
|
| CONDUCTOR: |
PAUL JOHN STANBERY
|
| ORCHESTRA: |
BUTLER
PHILHARMONIC
|
| CHOIR: |
BUTLER PHILHARMONIC
CHORUS
|
| SOPRANO: |
JESSICA RIVERA
|
| MEZZO-SOPRANO: |
GAILYN DRAPER
|
| TENOR: |
SCOTT WYATT
|
| BASS: |
THOMAS DREEZE
|
|
|
| AUDIO SAMPLES |
HIGHLIGHTS |
OTHER
RELEASES |
NONE
|
NONE
|
NONE
|
|
DISC ONE
1. No. 1, Sinfony
3:17
2. No. 2, Comfort Ye My People
3:38
3. No. 3, Ev'ry Valley Shall Be Exalted
3:48
4. No. 4, and the Glory of the Lord
3:27
5. No. 5, Thus Saith the Lord of Hosts
1:27
6. No. 6, but Who May Abide the Day of His
Coming 4:47
7. No. 7, and He Shall Purify the Sons of
Levi 2:55
8. No. 8, Behold, a Virgin Shall Conceive
0:25
9. No. 9, O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings
to Zion 5:43
10. No. 10, for Behold, Darkness Shall
Cover the Earth 2:19
11. No. 11, the People That Walked in
Darkness Have Seen a Great Light
3:29
12. No. 12, for Unto Us a Child Is Born
4:51
13. No. 13, Pifa 3:18
14. No. 14A, There Were Shepherds Abiding
in the Fields 0:12
15. No. 14B, and Lo, the Angel of the Lord
0:21
16. No. 15, and the Angel Said Unto Them
0:38
17. No. 16, and Suddenly There Was with
the Angel
0:19
18. No. 17, Glory to God in the Highest
2:08
19. No. 18, Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of
Zion
4:41
20. No. 19, Then Shall the Eyes of the
Blind Be Opened
0:32
21. No. 20, He Shall Feed His Flock Like a
Shepherd
5:44
22. No. 23, He Was Despised and Rejected
of Men
8:03
23. No. 45, I Know That My Redeemer Liveth
6:52
24. No. 47, Behold, I Tell You a Mystery
6:02
25. No. 48, the Trumpet Shall Sound
3:23
26. No. 42, He That Dwelleth in Heaven
0:14
27. No. 43, Thou Shalt Break Them with a
Rod of Iron
2:11
28. No. 44, Hallelujah 4:28
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SITE RATING: 3/10
SITE
REVIEW: A highlights
disc that features most of the "Easter"
portion of Messiah, as well as a
smattering of later arias and the ubiquitous
"Hallelujah" - this digital-only release comes
from the Butler Philharmonic, based in Ohio,
and is their first recorded Messiah
release, and also the first release of
2018. I was informed by the conductor
that this performance was an 'audience
participation' event, which affects the
recording to a marked degree. For
listeners and Messiah collectors, it's one of
the weakest performances I've heard in quite a
while. Paul John Stanbery's conducting,
which is hampered by having to lead the
audience, is markedly slow and blocked -
giving a heavy weight to every movement; the
Butler Philharmonic plays well, but,
similarly, having to shepherd the audience, is
played without a shred of lightness or
brilliancy, and the Butler Philharmonic Chorus
is drowned out by the crowd, sounding sadly
amateurish, with dis-unified singing, poor
enunciation, and flat, depressed vowels.
The soloists are somewhat better, with a
better grasp of pitch and tone - but not
Baroque quality, having wide vibratos, tenuous
grips on the melismas, and forced
deliveries. One, bass Thomas Dreeze,
even sings the wrong scale on the opening of
"The Trumpet Shall Sound" (!) - it's
ear-catching, but wrong-headed, if done on
purpose. While I'm sure that the local
community is proud of such a long-standing
choir and orchestra (67 years old as of this
writing), this recording doesn't do them the
justice they deserve.
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