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SITE RATING:  7/10 SITE REVIEW:  After reviewing Herve Nique's 2016 audio recording of Messiah, I wasn't looking forward to viewing this live concert version, recorded a year later, with a slimmer, mostly different roster of soloists, but surely flavored with Niquet's earlier experience with the work.  And I wasn't wrong - conductor Nique, still preening with self-importance, plasters himself all over this video, from the credits, which feature him conducting in front of a black screen with smeary video effects, to inserting himself into most of the shots, whether the soloist is performing, or the choir, he, dressed in a sparkly black jacket with a stand-up collar, it's clear that the video producers consider him the defining force behind this performance.  As far as the performance itself is concerned, it varies minimally from the audio CD - with rushed tempos, cold, uninvolved performances from most of the forces involved, despite their obvious talent in presenting baroque music.  Niquet has jettisoned most of the soloists from the audio recording, only keeping soprano Sandrine Piau, who brings her brittle, glassy tone to each aria.  Tenor Bozidar Smiljanic is easily the warmest performer here, with a cheery, bonhomie disposition which shines in his moments.  Alto Anthea Pichanick is fine, but seems to be simply singing from rote, as does bass Kresimir Spicer, whose somewhat chesty tone didn't endear me to his solos.  High marks for the technical merits of the DVD - featuring multi-angle camera shots, and superbly clean video and audio (with a choice of 2.0 stereo or 5.1 Dolby listening options) - the performance looks beautiful, even if the emotional experience of Messiah is sadlly lacking.

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