RECORDINGS
Handel Messiah (Live) Belarusian State Chamber Orchestra, Belarussian State Chamber Choir & Pyotr Vandilovsky
LABEL: BELARUSIAN STATE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
CATALOG NUMBER: UNKNOWN
UPC NUMBER: UNKNOWN
NUMBER OF DISCS: 1
RUNNING TIME: 69 MIN.
YEAR RECORDED: UNKNOWN
CD RELEASE DATE: MAY 24, 2021
CONDUCTOR: PYOTR VANDILOVSKY
ORCHESTRA: BELARUSIAN STATE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
CHOIR: BELARUSIAN STATE CHAMBER CHOIR
SOPRANO: TATIANA GAVRILOVA
ALTO: ELENA SALO
TENOR: GRIGORIJ POLISCHUK
BARITONE: ANDREJ MOROZOV

AUDIO SAMPLES HIGHLIGHTS OTHER RELEASES




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DISC ONE

1. Ouverture  3:16   
2. Behold, a Virgin Shall Conceive (Alto)  6:19   
3. For Behold, Darkness Shall Cover the Earth (Bass) 7:07   
4. For Unto Us a Child Is Born (Duet Chorus)  4:02   
5. Then Shall the Eyes of the Blind Be Opened (Alto)  5:57   
6. His Yoke Is Easy (Duet Chorus)  2:23   
7. Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs and Carried Our Sorrows (Chorus)  2:10   
8. He Trusted in God That He Would Deliver Him (Fugue Chorus)  2:21   
9. Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart (Tenor)  6:20   
10. Unto Which of the Angels (Tenor)  1:47   
11. Thou Art Gone up on High (Air Soprano)  3:36   
12. The Lord Gave the Word (Chorus)  1:11   
13. How Beautiful Are the Feet (Air Soprano)  2:53   
14. Their Sound Is Gone out (Chorus)  1:33   
15. Hallelujah (Chorus)  3:40   
16. Since by Man Came Death (Chorus)  2:28   
17. If God Be for Us, Who Can Be Against Us (Soprano)  5:03   
18. Amen (Anthem and Fugue Chorus)  6:56
SITE RATING:  3/10
SITE REVIEW:  This release was snuck out in May of 2021 as a digital-only release, and for a hot second, I wasn't convinced that it was a legitimate release at all - I could find little about the choir or conductor - only fleeting references; but since it is an international release, and the performance itself is professional and new, I assume that the provenance is simply elusive.  There's no label or catalog number for the album, which is in itself suspicious; but it doesn't appear to be an audience recording, or a dub, so here we are, with the sole Messiah release of 2021, coming hot in midst of the continuing COVID pandemic.  The recording and performance, while professional, isn't world-class, but has many fine points.  Played on period instruments, the Belarus State Chamber Orchestra are fine and unified, although Pyotr Vandilovsky conducts with a heavy hand, leading to ponderous moments, most egregiously the throaty, plodding "For Behold, Darkness Shall Cover The Earth" which is sung with little feeling by Andrej Morozov.  Alto Elena Salo's timbre is equally heavy, but is not helped by the deliberate tempos.  The Belarus State Chamber Choir all sound about seventy years old, with thick, declamatory singing, and not a hint of sparkle - it reminds me of the gray Russian performances during the height of the Cold War.  Tenor Grigorij Polischuk is hampered by a thick accent with broadens and flattens the vowels, and soprano Tatiana Gavrilova is a bright point, giving a tremulous, sympathetic reading of her arias which I found touching.  The sound is somewhat muffled, being a live recording, and lacks immediacy or brightness in the sound.  A recording notable only for being the sole Messiah performance to be released this year.

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