| RECORDINGS |
|
| LABEL: |
NOBLE
CREEK
PRODUCTION SERVICES, INC. |
| CATALOG
NUMBER: |
N/A |
| UPC
NUMBER: |
N/A |
| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
2 |
| RUNNING TIME: |
74:05;
61:34 |
| DATE
RECORDED: |
MAY
18,
1996 |
| CD
RELEASE
DATE: |
1996 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
JAMES
F.
WEAVER |
| ORCHESTRA: |
THE
SACRED
MUSIC PROJECT BAROQUE ENSEMBLE |
| CHOIR: |
THE
WILLIAMSBURG
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH CHANCEL
CHOIR |
| SOPRANO: |
GEORGEANN
PADDOCK |
| MEZZO
SOPRANO: |
ORY
BROWN |
| TENOR: |
DAREN
BASNIGHT |
| BASS: |
FRANK
WARD |
|
|
| AUDIO SAMPLES |
HIGHLIGHTS |
OTHER
RELEASES |
NONE
|
NONE
|
NONE
|
|
DISC ONE
1. Sinfonia
2. Recit (tenor) - Comfort ye my people
3. Air (tenor) - Every valley shall be
exalted
4. Chorus — And the glory of the Lord
5. Recit (Bass) - Thus saith the Lord
6. Air (Soprano) — But who may abide
7. Chorus - And He shall purify
8. Recit (Alto) - Behold a virgin shall
conceive
9. Air & Chorus (Alto) - O thou that
tellest good tidings
10 Recit (Bass) - For behold darkness
shall cover the earth
11. Recit (Bass) - The people that walked
in darkness
12. Chorus - For unto us a child is born
13. Pifa
14. Recit (Soprano) - There were shepherds
/ And suddenly
15. Recit (Soprano) - And the angel said
unto them
16. Recit (Soprano) - And suddenly there
was with the angels
17. Chorus - Glory to God
18. Air (Soprano) - Rejoice greatly
19. Recit (Alto) - Then shall the eyes of
the blind
20. Air (Soprano) - He shall feed his
flock
21. Chorus - His yoke is easy
22. Chorus - Behold the lamb of God
23. Air (Alto) - He was despised
24. Chorus - Surely he hath borne our
griefs
25. Chorus - And with his stripes
26. Chorus - All we like sheep
|
DISC TWO
1. Air (Tenor) — All they that see
him
2. Chorus - He trusted in God
3. Recit (Tenor) - Thy rebuke hath broken
his heart
4. Air (Tenor) - Behold and see
5. Recit (Soprano) - He was cut off
6. Air (Soprano) - But thou didst not
leave his soul in hell
7. Chorus - Lift up your heads
8. Recit (Tenor) - Unto which of the
angels
9. Chorus - Let all the angels of God
10. Air (Soprano - Thou art gone up on
high
11. Chorus - The Lord gave the word
12. Air (Alto) - How beautiful are the
feet
13. Chorus - Their sound is gone out
14. Air (Bass) - Why do the nations
15. Chorus - Let us break their bonds
16. Recit (Tenor) - He that dwelleth in
heaven
17. Air (Tenor) - Thou shalt break them
18. Chorus - Halleluiah
19. Air (Soprano) - I know that my
redeemer liveth
20. Chorus - Since by man came death
21. Recit (Bass) - Behold I tell you a
mystery
22. Air (Bass) - The trumpet shall sound
23. Recit (Alto) - Then shall be brought
to pass
24. Duet (Alto & Tenor) - O death,
where is thy sting?
25. Chorus - But thanks be to God
Air (Alto) If God
be for us (omitted from this recording}
26. Chorus - Worthy is the lamb
|
|
SITE RATING: 6/10
SITE
REVIEW: James F.
Weaver, of the Williamsburg Presbyterian
Church (not to be confused with the
previously-reviewed James
Weaver Smithsonian recording), conducted
this live performance of Messiah
in 1996, and it was preserved on this
surprisingly good double-disc set, which,
although it suffers faults from it's single
session and the live setting, is a very fine
performance from this amateur group, with
soloists, chorus, and orchestral playing and
singing with a conviction and polish that they
can be proud of.
Tenor Daren Basnight has a fine, commanding
tone, albeit accompanied by a fluttery
vibrato, which suits the arias very
well. Bass Frank Ward is excellent -
with a bright, engaging timbre and searing
melismas that he masters with panache.
Unfortunately, he sounds buried in the mix,
with none of the immediate presence his
performance demands. Soprano Georgeann
Paddock is bright and flute-like, with a very
pleasant timbre and easiness to her
arias. And mezzo-soprano Ory Brown is
similarly excellent, with a darker tone which
superbly compliments Ms. Paddock's brighter
moments.
The Choir sounds solid and confident -
unfortunately they suffer from uneven mic'ing,
which thrusts some parts to the back of the
mix, while other parts (and voices) pop out -
overall it's a muddy choral mix, which is one
of the biggest faults of the recording.
The Sacred Music Project Baroque Ensemble
plays on period instruments, and although
proficient, intonation and various faults
creep into the performance regularly, again,
mostly the fault of having a single, live
performance to work from. Weaver's
direction can best be described as solid; the
tempi are square and competent, but his lines
rarely sing - still, there are several
effective dynamic moments, and this recording
is worth seeking out for collectors of rare Messiahs.
|
|
