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RECORDINGS |
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| LABEL: |
ORF
EDITION / ALTE MUSIK |
| CATALOG
NUMBER: |
3112 |
| UPC NUMBER: |
9004629314877 |
| NUMBER
OF DISCS: |
4 |
| RUNNING
TIME: |
UNKNOWN |
| YEAR
RECORDED: |
2009 |
| CD
RELEASE DATE: |
FEBRUARY
12, 2011 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
PHILIPP
VON STEINAECKER |
| ORCHESTRA: |
MUSICA
SAECULORUM |
| CHOIR: |
MUSICA
SAECULORUM |
| SOPRANO: |
RUBY
HUGHES |
| ALTO: |
KRISTINA
HAMMARSTRÖM |
| TENOR: |
DANIEL
JOHANNSEN |
| BASS: |
DOMINIK
WÖRNER |
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| AUDIO SAMPLES |
HIGHLIGHTS |
OTHER RELEASES |
NONE |
NONE |
NONE
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DISC
ONE
Part 1
01 Sinfonia
02 Recitative acc. - Comfort ye
03 Air - Every valley shall be exalted
04 Chorus - And the glory of the Lord
05 Recitative acc. - Thus saith the Lord
06 Air - But who may abide the day
07 Chorus - And He shall purify
08 Air - Behold! A virgin shall conceive
09 Air and Chorus - O thou that telleth good tidings
10 Recitative acc. - For, behold, darkness shall cover
11 Air - The people that walked in darkness
12 Chorus - For unto us a child is born
13 Pifa
14 Recitative - There were shepherds
15 Recitative acc. - And lo! the angel of the Lord came
16 Recitative - And the angel said unto them
17 Recitative acc. - And suddenly there was with the angel
18 Chorus - Glory to God
19 Air - Rejoice greatly
20 Recitative - Then shall the eyes
21 Air - He shall feed His flock
22 Chorus - His yoke is easy
Part 2
23 Chorus - Behold the Lamb of God
24 Air - He was despised
25 Chorus - Surely He has borne our griefs
26 Chorus - And with His stripes
27 Chorus - All we like sheep
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DISC
TWO
Part 2
(Cont.)
01 Recitative acc. - All they that see Him laugh Him to scorn
02 Chorus - He trusted in God
03 Recitative acc. - Thy rebuke hath broken His heart
04 Air - Behold, and see
05 Recitative acc. - He was cut off
06 Air - But Thou didst not leave His soul
07 Recitative - Unto which of the angels
08 Chorus - Let all the angels of God
09 Air - Thou art gone up on high
10 Chorus - The Lord gave the word
11 Air - How beautiful are the feet
12 Chorus - Their sound is gone out
13 Air - Why do the nations
14 Chorus - Let us break their bonds asunder
15 Recitative - He that dwelleth in heaven
16 Air - Thou shalt break them
17 Chorus - Hallelujah!
Part 3
18 Air - I know that my Redeemer liveth
19 Chorus - Since by man came death
20 Recitative acc. - Behold, I tell you a mystery!
21 Air - The trumpet shall sound
22 Recitative - Then shall be brought to pass
23 Duet - O death! where is thy sting?
24 Chorus - But thanks be to God
25 Chorus - If God be for us
26 Chorus - Worthy is the Lamb
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SITE RATING:
9/10
SITE REVIEW:
This 2009 live
performance by German-based chamber ensemble Musica
Saeculorum under the
direction of Philipp von Steinaecker is a pure, polished recording;
sharply defined and alternately musical and muscular in it's
sensibility. Despite their German origin, this is a English
language performance, with nary a hint of accent detectable; indeed,
this is a sparkling performance from all involved, with crisp diction,
razor-sharp attacks and both the orchestral and choral forces moving as
one. Tenor Daniel Johannsen is electrifying in his solos,
with crystal-clear singing and a heroic tone. Bass Dominik
Wörner is similarly potent in his arias, bringing high drama and
technique to his arias. Alto Kristina Hammarström has
admirable richness and expertise in her vocals, while soprano Ruby
Hughes has a beautiful, clear tessatura, bell-like and
ringing. Their conductor is attuned to the drama of the work,
and uses dynamic extremes and pauses to great effect
throughout. I can't say enough about this ensemble, they
bring the highest quality to their performance, and it feels like
everyone is absolutely locked in to the performance, investing their
entire selves into it. The box set which I purchased from
overseas contains a hefty bonus as well; besides the packed-full two
discs devoted to Messiah, there are an additional two discs which are
entitled "He Knew Humanity" a radio show-like program in which Handel
scholar Winton Dean discusses Handel's Oratorio's with musical
underscore and excerpts from 1950-era recordings. The program
is entirely in German, so it may not hold interest for all audiences,
but is a nice addition to an already stellar Messiah
performance. A worthy addition to any Messiah collector, this
box set can be considered a first choice.
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