RECORDINGS

LABEL: FOUR WINDS
CATALOG NUMBER: FW3025
UPC NUMBER: 754612302525
NUMBER OF DISCS: 1
RUNNING TIME: 62:57
YEAR RECORDED: 2005
CD RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 9, 2005
CONDUCTOR: FREDERICK BURGOMASTER
ORCHESTRA: INDIANAPOLIS FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA CHAMBER ENSEMBLE
CHOIR: CHRIST CHURCH CATHEDRAL CHOIR OF MEN AND BOYS, INDIANAPOLIS
TREBLES: ANDREW BREUNINGER, TYLER WEBB, DANIEL SEGNER
COUNTERTENOR: STEVEN RICHARDS
TENOR: CHRISTOPHER FREEZE
BASS-BARITONE: STANLEY IRWIN
AUDIO SAMPLES HIGHLIGHTS OTHER RELEASES
DISC ONE

1. Chorus - And The Glory Of The Lord     3:01
2. Recitative - Thus Saith The Lord    1:35
3. Recitative - Behold, A Virgin Shall Conceive    0:22
4. Air & Chorus - O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings To Zion    5:36
5. Chorus - For Unto Us A Child Is Born    4:07
6. Recitative - There Were Shepherds Abiding In The Field    0:14
7. Recitative - And Lo, The Angel Of The Lord Came Upon Them    0:20
8. Recitative - And The Angel Said Unto Them    0:39
9. Recitative - And Suddenly There Was With The Angel    0:17
10. Chorus - Glory To God    1:54
11. Air - Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter Of Zion    4:31
12. Recitative - Then Shall The Eyes Of The Blind    0:29
13. Air - He Shall Feed His Flock    5:13
14. Chorus - His Yoke Is Easy, And His Burthen Is Light    2:20
15. Chorus - Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs    1:58
16. Chorus - And With His Stripes We Are Healed    2:19
17. Chorus - All We Like Sheep Have Gone Astray    3:57
18. Recitative - All They That See Him, Laugh Him To Scorn    0:45
19. Chorus - He Trusted In God    2:36    $0.99    Buy Track
20. Recitative - Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart    1:25
21. Air - Behold, And See If There Be Any Sorrow    1:14
22. Recitative - He Was Cut Off Out Of The Land Of The Living    0:21
23. Air - But Thou Didst Not Leave His Soul In Hell    2:15
24. Chorus - The Lord Gave The Word    1:14
25. Air - How Beautiful Are The Feet    2:17
26. Chorus - Their Sound Is Gone Out    1:42
27. Air - Why Do The Nations So Furiously Rage Together?    1:42
28. Chorus - Let Us Break Their Bonds Asunder    2:09
29. Recitative - He That Dwelleth In Heaven    0:16
30. Air - Thou Shalt Break Them    2:03
31. Chorus - Hallelujah    4:08
SITE RATING:  3/10
SITE REVIEW:  I own many Messiah recordings, and this one, a highlights disc with Frederick Burgomaster conducting, is one of the most unusual. Despite containing 31 tracks, the producers decided to omit the entire third section of Messiah, so you won't find such famous numbers as "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth" or "Worthy Is The Lamb" or the "Amen" chorus. Nor will you hear the well known Pastoral Symphony or Overture, or even the opening tenor aria "Comfort Ye" or "Every Valley" - it's as if the recording engineer forgot to push the "record" button when the performance had started, and then ran out of tape two-thirds of the way through. Despite these rather glaring omissions, the listener does get a meaty chunk of parts I and II of Messiah, but should you buy it?

The Christ Church Cathedral Choir of Men and Boys, Indianapolis lead off the proceedings with "And The Glory of the Lord" and a couple of things are immediately apparent: the recorded sound is somewhat distant, not immediate, and the chorus, who struggle with pitch throughout, sound dis-unified, with operatic tenors and thundering basses overpowering the poor, over-matched trebles. The Bass recitative, "Thus Saith the Lord" is similarly under-miked, and the bass, Stanley Irwin sounds throaty and forced - this must be a live performance by the distant sound. There are three trebles listed, but there is no identifiers for each track, so it's impossible to tell who sings what - but they sing beautifully - clear, mellow tones, with just a little ornamentation. The choir does less well, struggling through the melismas and going noticeably flat during several passages.

The program continues, with few hits and many misses throughout - so, although I generally enjoy the presence of trebles in other Messiahs, this one has enough flaws in the recorded sound, performances, and enough omissions in the track listing to recommend passing this Messiah by.
The Compleat Messiah All Content Copyright © 2009 Bret D. Wheadon
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