RECORDINGS

LABEL: EMI CLASSICS
CATALOG NUMBER: 2681562
UPC NUMBER: 5099926815626
NUMBER OF DISCS: 2
RUNNING TIME: 69:16, 74:15
YEAR RECORDED: 2007
CD RELEASE DATE: JUNE 2, 2009
CONDUCTOR: STEPHEN CLEOBURY
ORCHESTRA: ACADEMY OF ANCIENT MUSIC
CHOIR: CHOIR OF KING'S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE
SOPRANO: AILISH TYNAN
MEZZO-SOPRANO: ALICE COOTE
TENOR: ALLAN CLAYTON
BASS: MATTHEW ROSE
AUDIO SAMPLES HIGHLIGHTS OTHER RELEASES
DISC ONE

1. Sinfony (Grave - Allegro moderato)
2. Comfort Ye My People (Tenor Accompagnato: Larghetto E Piano)
3. Ev'Ry Valley Shall Be Exalted (Tenor Air: Andante)
4. And The Glory Of The Lord (Chorus: Andante)
5. Thus Saith The Lord (Bass Accompagnato)
6. But Who May Abide? (Alto Air: Larghetto - Prestissimo)
7. And He Shall Purify (Chorus)
8. Behold! A Virgin Shall Conceive (Alto Recitative)
9. O Thou That Tellest (Alto Air: Andante)
10. O Thou That Tellest (Chorus)
11. For Behold, Darkness Shall Cover The Earth (Bass Accompagnato: Andante Larghetto)
12. The People That Walked In Darkness (Bass Air: Larghetto)
13. For Unto Us A Child Is Born (Chorus: Andante Allegro)
14. Pifa (Pastoral Symphony: Larghetto E Mezzo Piano)
15. There Were Shepherds Abiding In The Field (Soprano Recitative)
16. Glory To God (Chorus: Allegro, Da Lontano E Un Poco Piano)
17. Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter Of Zion (Soprano Air: Allegro)
18. Then Shall The Eyes Of The Blind (Alto Recitative)
19. He Shall Feed His Flock ... Come Unto Him All Ye That Labour (Soprano & Alto Duet: Larghetto E Piano)
20. His Yoke Is Easy (Chorus: Allegro)
21. Behold The Lamb Of God (Chorus: Largo)
22. He Was Despised (Alto Air: Largo)
 DISC TWO

1. Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs (Chorus: Largo E Staccato)
2. And With His Stripes (Chorus: Alla Breve, Moderato)
3. All We Like Sheep (Chorus: Allegro Moderato - Adagio)
4. All They That See Him (Tenor Accompagnato: Larghetto)
5. He Trusted In God (Chorus: Allegro)
6. Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart (Tenor Accompagnato: Largo)
7. Behold, And See (Tenor Arioso: Largo E Piano)
8. He Was Cut Off (Tenor Recitative)
9. But Thou Didst Not Leave (Tenor Air: Andante Larghetto)
10. Lift Up Your Heads (Chorus: A Tempo Ordinario)
11. Unto Which Of The Angels (Tenor Recitative)
12. Let All The Angels Of God (Chorus: Allegro)
13. Thou Art Gone Up On High (Alto Air: Allegro Larghetto)
14. The Lord Gave The Word (Chorus: Andante Allegro)
15. How Beautiful Are The Feet (Soprano Air: Larghetto)
16. Their Sound Is Gone Out (Chorus: A Tempo Ordinario)
17. Why Do The Nations (Bass Air: Allegro)
18. Let Us Break Their Bonds Asunder (Chorus: Allegro E Staccato)
19. He That Dwelleth In Heaven (Tenor Recitative)
20. Thou Shalt Break Them (Tenor Air: Andante)
21. Hallelujah (Chorus: Allegro)
22. I Know That My Redeemer Liveth (Soprano Air: Larghetto)
23. Since By Man Came Death (Chorus: Grave - Allegro)
24. Behold I Tell You A Mystery (Bass Accompagnato)
25. The Trumpet Shall Sound (Bass Air: Pomposo, Ma Non Troppo)
26. Then Shall Be Brought To Pass (Alto Recitative)
27. O Death, Where Is Thy Sting (Alto & Tenor Duet: Andante)
28. But Thanks Be To God (Chorus: Andante)
29. If God Is For Us (Soprano Air: Larghetto)
30. Worthy Is The Lamb (Chorus: Largo - Andante - Laghetto)
31. Amen (Chorus: Allegro Moderato)
SITE RATING:  4/10
SITE REVIEW:  I'm a big fan of conductor Stephen Cleobury and the Choir of King's College, Cambridge, so I have really been looking forward to this new recording of Messiah, which was taken from a live performance filmed in England and shown in movie theaters there. But upon hearing the performance, I was disappointed in a couple of ways: first, the tempos are much slower than modern performances, hearkening back to the ponderous tempos of the 1970s - I prefer my "Messiah's" to be light and quick, but this one, despite the small forces gathered, is taken quite leisurely, not excessively so, but much more than I prefer.

Second, the soloists have much more weight and vibrato in their tones than I've heard in a long while - the soprano and alto soloists especially are rather thick and ripe, using a great deal of vibrato, which I abhor in baroque music - they sound as if they are fifty years old (not that there's anything wrong with that) - it's just not what I enjoy for this period of music. There is some good here to report - the Choir of King's College is recorded magnificently, with much more clarity and separation than I've heard before, although the boy sopranos are not as precise in their melismas as other recordings I've heard.

Overall, this is a strange recording; it seems to ignore the revolution in baroque music of the last 20 years, and hearkens back to earlier, slower, and, in my opinion, duller Messiah's of years past. ~ BDW
The Compleat Messiah All Content Copyright © 2009 Bret D. Wheadon
All Rights Reserved.