VIDEO |
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LABEL: |
TEL-AD |
CATALOG
NUMBER: |
N/A |
UPC
NUMBER: |
N/A |
NUMBER OF TAPES: |
1 |
RUNNING TIME: |
117
MIN. |
YEAR
RECORDED: |
1999 |
RELEASE
DATE: |
OCTOBER
12, 1999 |
ASPECT
RATIO: |
1.33:1 |
AUDIO: |
UNKNOWN |
REGION: |
N/A |
CONDUCTOR: |
FRANCISCO
DE ARAUJO |
ORCHESTRA: |
LA
CAMERATA ORCHESTRA |
CHOIR: |
LA
CAMERATA NUOVE |
SOPRANO: |
BEVERLY
HOCH |
MEZZO-SOPRANO: |
DONNA
STEPHENSON |
TENOR: |
GENE
TUCKER |
BASS: |
JONATHAN
DEUTSCH |
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VIDEO SAMPLES |
OTHER
RELEASES |
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SITE RATING: 8/10
SITE
REVIEW: Another Messiah
which deserves to be released on DVD/Blue-Ray,
this 1999 performance by the little-known
Franciso de Araujo and La Camerata Orchestra
and Choir is worthy of watching.
Although it perpetuates some common
myths about the creation of Messiah in a
spoken prologue, the performance is very good,
with some caveats. The La Camerata
forces are small, chamber-sized, but
wonderfully balanced, with good recorded
sound, as well. Director Francisco de
Araujo is an energetic, expressive conductor,
and he brings out the best in all involved.
Soloists include tenor Gene Tucker, who
has a finely balanced heroic tone, although he
struggles with slight pitch and melisma
issues. Soprano and mezzo-soprano
Beverly Hoch and Donna Stephenson enjoy a fine
rapport, and have similarly very good, if not
world-class talents, offset to a great degree
by their warm personalities. Bass
Jonathan Deutsch has a booming, hollow-chested
tone which I did not enjoy, but I found great
interest in watching him perform due to a
strange coincidence: he bears a strong
resemblance to horror icon Boris Karloff - with his
deep set eyes, dark eyebrows, and silver,
swept-back hair creating an odd, deja-vu
sensation. Interspersed at odd intervals
throughout the performance are on-site videos
of various Christian locals in the Holy Land,
from Christ's birthplace, to his reputed
burial site, each notated with on-screen
identifiers. The production values are
quite high, and the performances on the whole
are fine enough to recommend this video to
all.
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