SITE RATING: 7/10
SITE
REVIEW: This
performance, independently released by The
Piedmont Baroque Consortium, is an abridged
document - featuring Part One of Messiah
along with a "bonus" chorus of "Hallelujah"
(since it can't be Messiah without
its most famous chorus, can it?) and
features some very nice moments, with some
sterling performances by select soloists and
orchestra, raising it a bit above most
regional recordings. I found superior
tones and performances by tenor John Kaneklides,
who I found particularly winning, alto
Martha Bartz, bass Neal Sharpe and soprano
Jennifer Ellis-Kampani. Alto Reginald
Mobley presents a rather piercing vibrato
which fluttered and swooped in a distracting
manner, and which I found too strident
within the fabric of the majority of the soloists.
The combined baroque orchestras play
admirably - a credit to both them and
conductor David Tang, who leads everything
with a sure hand. The chorus is a
little distant in the mix - with a generally
clear, white tone, only with occasional
sections (I'm looking at you, tenors)
leaping out of the blend. Nothing
struck me as particularly electrifying, but
this is a very polished, professional group,
which any community would be proud to call
their own.
|
