| RECORDINGS |
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| LABEL: |
BIS |
| CATALOG
NUMBER: |
BIS-CD-891/92 |
| UPC
NUMBER: |
7318598918922 |
| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
2 |
| RUNNING TIME: |
140:00 |
| YEAR
RECORDED: |
1996 |
| CD
RELEASE
DATE: |
FEBRUARY
18,
1997 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
MASAAKI
SUZUKI |
| ORCHESTRA: |
BACH
COLLEGIUM
JAPAN |
| CHOIR: |
BACH
COLLEGIUM
JAPAN |
| SOPRANO: |
MIDORI
SUZUKI |
| CONTRALTO: |
YOSHIKAZU
MERA |
| TENOR: |
JOHN
ELWES |
| BASS: |
DAVID
THOMAS |
|
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DISC ONE
1. And without controversy
2. Symphony
3. Comfort ye my people
4. Ev'ry valley shall be exalted
5. And the glory of the Lord shall be
revealed
6. Thus saith the Lord
7. But who may abide the day of His coming
8. And he shall purify the sons of Levi
9. Behold, a virgin shall conceive
10. O Thou that tellest good tidings to
Zion
11. For behold, darkness shall cover the
earth
12. The people that walked in darkness
13. For unto us a child is born
14. Pifa
15. There were shepherds abiding
16. And lo, the angel of the Lord
17. And the angel said unto them
18. And suddenly there was with the angel
19. Glory to God in the highest
20. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion
21. Then shall the eyes of the blind be
open'd
22. He shall feed His flock
23. His yoke is easy, His burthen is light
24. Behold the Lamb of God
25. He was depised and rejected of men
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DISC TWO
1. Surely, He hath borne our griefs
2. And with His stripes we are healed
3. All we like sheep have gone astray
4. All they that see Him laugh
5. He trusted in God that He would deliver
Him
6. Thy rebuke hath broken His heart
7. Behold, and see if there be any sorrow
8. He was cut off out of the land
9. But didst not leave His soul in Hell
10. Lift up your heads, O ye gates
11. Unto which of the angels said He
12. Let all the angelsof God worship him
13. Thou art gone up on high
14. How beautiful are the feet of Him
15. Their sound is gone out
16. Why do the nations so furiously rage
together
17. Let us break their bonds asunder
18. He that dwelleth in heaven
19. Thou shalt break them with a rod of
iron
20. Hallelujah!
21. I know that my Redeemer liveth
22. Since by man came death
23. The trumpet shall sound
24. Then shall be brought to pass
25. O Death, where is thy sting
26. But thanks be to God
27. If God be forever
28. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
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SITE RATING: 9/10
SITE
REVIEW: I know when I
first saw the listing for the Suzuki Messiah,
I was wondering if this recording would have a
particular Japanese flavor to it. (Kabuki Messiah,
anyone?) But, alas, such was not the
case. This is a singularly Western
performance, with the Bach
Collegium
Japan giving one of the most polished,
professional Messiah's ever caught on
disc. The one idiosyncracy, a spoken
introduction of the Majora Canamus (by British
tenor John Elwes) sets the stage for this
evergreen Christian work. The Bach
Collegium Japan plays period instruments, and
with considerable flair, while director
Maasaki Suzuki has a fine command of both
Baroque style and an unerring sense of good
tempi. This is one of the few Messiahs I
have heard that has everything "just right" in
terms of balance between quick and moderate
speed. Of the soloists, I was amazed by
counter-tenor Yoshikazu Mera, (listed on the
credits as an alto); his tone and command of
line is astonishing - he truly has some
gorgeous moments, especially on "But Who May
Abide The Day Of His Coming". He also is
given over to more ornamentation than other
recordings I've heard, but he's so good at it,
that's it's a pleasure to hear. John
Elwes is a fine tenor, although I found him
paling against the other soloists.
Soprano Midori Suzuki is also glorious,
with crystal-clear intonation and pure
delivery; Everything here is finely
styled, and easily stands alongside the
greatest of Messiah recordings. The only
reason it doesn't rate my highest
recommendation is the sense that it has more
style than substance - it feels very careful -
the results are indeed spectacular, but it has
an air of studied excellence. Still, an
essential addition to any Messiah
collection.
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