VIDEO |
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LABEL: |
VIDEO
TREASURES |
CATALOG
NUMBER: |
SV9335 |
UPC
NUMBER: |
013132933535 |
NUMBER OF TAPES: |
1 |
RUNNING TIME: |
60
MIN. |
YEAR
RECORDED: |
1988 |
RELEASE
DATE: |
1991 |
ASPECT
RATIO: |
1.33:1 |
AUDIO: |
UNKNOWN |
REGION: |
NTSC |
CONDUCTOR: |
ROBERT
SHAW |
ORCHESTRA: |
ATLANTA
SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA |
CHOIR: |
ATLANTA
CHAMBER CHORUS |
SOPRANO: |
SYLVIA
MCNAIR |
MEZZO-SOPRANO: |
MARIETTA
SIMPSON |
TENOR: |
JON
HUMPHREY |
BARITONE: |
WILLIAM
STONE |
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VIDEO SAMPLES |
OTHER
RELEASES |
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SITE RATING: 8/10
SITE
REVIEW: This
sixty-minute highlights video of Robert Shaw
and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
performing Messiah
captures all the strict mannerisms and
exactness of Shaw. In fact, this
recording can almost be considered a video
document of Shaw's 1984
Messiah,
captured on Telarc, since it uses most of the
same forces as that recording, including
soloists Syvia McNair and tenor Jon Humphrey.
Shaw is nothing if not completely
professional; he conducts the Atlanta Symphony
with a sure, if square sensibility - this is a
well-behaved, mannered Messiah, dry, but
admirable. The production values are
very high, with smooth, multiple camera
angles, and good, if limited sound.
Tenor Jon Humphrey is superb in his
moments, The Atlanta Symphony Chorus is
similarly cast, with a exceptionally smooth,
but detached manner, that perfectly captures
the music of Messiah, with excellent diction
and blend. Bass William Stone sings with
a firm, rigorous tone, perfectly attuned to
Shaw's reading; mezzo-soprano Marietta Simpson
sounds glorious - rich and pitch-perfect,
while Syvia McNair is again, perfectly suited
to Handel's arias, and moreover, brings a
splendid warmth to her performance, which is
lacking in every other peformer present.
For technical prowess, this Messiah
rates a ten, but its detached, somewhat
robotic flavor keeps it from being a complete
success.
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