RECORDINGS

LABEL: EMI CLASSICS
CATALOG NUMBER: CMS 63784 2
UPC NUMBER: 077776378428
NUMBER OF DISCS: 2
RUNNING TIME: 151:57
YEAR RECORDED: 1973
CD RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 5, 2002
CONDUCTOR: SIR DAVID WILLCOCKS
ORCHESTRA: ACADEMY OF ST MARTIN-IN-THE-FIELDS
CHOIR: CHOIR OF KING'S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE
SOPRANO: BOYS OF THE CHOIR
CONTRALTO: JAMES BOWMAN
TENOR: ROBERT TEAR
BASS: BENJAMIN LUXON

AUDIO SAMPLES HIGHLIGHTS OTHER RELEASES


DISC ONE

1. Sinfony
2. PART 1: Comfort ye my people
3. MPART 1: Ev'ry valley shall be exalted
4. PART 1: And the glory of the Lord
5. PART 1: Thus saith the Lord
6. PART 1: But who may abide?
7. MPART 1: And He shall purify
8. PART 1: Behold! a virgin shall conceive
9. PART 1: O thou that tellest
10. PART 1: O thou that tellest
11. PART 1: For behold, darkness shall cover the earth
12. PART 1: The people that walked in darkness
13. PART 1: For unto us a child is born
14. PART 1: Pifa (Pastoral Symphony)
15. PART 1: There were shepherds abiding in the field
16. PART 1: Glory to God
17. PART 1: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion
18. PART 1: Then shall the eyes of the blind
19. PART 1: He shall feed his flock ... Come unto Him all ye that labour
20. PART 1: His yoke is easy
21. PART 2: Behold the lamb of God
22. PART 2: He was despised
 DISC TWO

1. PART 2: Surely he hath borne our griefs
2. PART 2: And with his stripes
3. PART 2: All we like sheep
4. PART 2: All they that see him
5. PART 2: He trusted in God
6. PART Thy rebuke hath broken his heart
7. PART 2: Behold, and see
8. PART 2: He was cut off
9. PART 2: But Thou didst not leave
10. PART 2: Lift up your heads
11. PART 2: Unto which of the angels
12. PART 2: Let all the angels of God
13. PART 2: Thou art gone up on high
14. PART 2: The Lord gave the word
15. PART 2: How beautiful are the feet
16. PART 2: Their sound is gone out
17. PART 2: Why do the nations
18. PART 2: Let us break their bonds asunder
19. PART 2: He that dwelleth in Heaven
20. PART 2: Thou shalt break them
21. PART 2: Hallelujah
22. PART 3: I know that my Redeemer liveth
23. PART 3: Since by man came death
24. PART 3: Behold I tell you a mystery
25. PART 3: The trumpet shall sound
26. PART 3: Then shall be brought to pass
27. PART 3: O death, where is thy sting
28. PART 3: But thanks be to God
29. PART 3: If God is for us
30. PART 3: Worthy is the lamb
SITE RATING:  6/10
SITE REVIEW:  My first impression of this 1973 recording of Messiah is how very 'British' the performance is. Sir David Willcocks conducts each number with very deliberate, stately tempos, as if he were performing for the Queen Mum and afraid of offending. This is certainly one of the more idiosyncratic performances which I own, with each solo and chorus taking a declamatory stance, exactly as if a troupe of Victorian-era head butlers were singing it. The soloists are all very proper and a bit stand-offish, and the Choir at King's College, Cambridge comprised entirely of boys and men, as well as The Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields are very good. But it's all sung as if being conducted by a metronome; I just can't shake the feeling while I'm listening to this that this Messiah runs a little too much like an atomic clock; exact, precise, but with an internal temperature that runs cold instead of hot. Worth hearing for the astonishing differences in mood and ambiance, compared to other, more fiery performances. ~ BDW

The Compleat Messiah All Content Copyright © 2018 Bret D. Wheadon
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