RECORDINGS

LABEL: OPENING DAY RECORDINGS
CATALOG NUMBER: ODR 9306
UPC NUMBER: 776143000626
NUMBER OF DISCS: 2
RUNNING TIME: 2:27:16
YEAR RECORDED: 1995
CD RELEASE DATE: 1995
CONDUCTOR: GERALD FAGAN
ORCHESTRA: CONCERT PLAYERS ORCHESTRA
CHOIR: LONDON FANSHAWE SYMPHONIC CHORUS, GERALD FAGAN SINGERS
SOPRANO: LESLIE FAGAN
MEZZO-SOPRANO: JANIS TAYLOR
TENOR: MARK DUBOIS
BASS BARITONE: GARY RELYEA
AUDIO SAMPLES HIGHLIGHTS OTHER RELEASES

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DISC ONE

1. Overture 3:08
2. Comfort Ye 3:20
3. Ev'ry Valley Shall be Exalted 3:30
4. And the Glory of the Lord 3:01
5. Thus Saith the Lord 1:33
6. But who may Abide 4:42
7. And He Shall Purify 2:16
8. Behold, a Virgin shall Conceive 0:25
9. O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings to Zion 5:05
10. For Behold, darkness shall cover the Earth 2:45
11. The People that Walked in Darkness 3:11
12. For Unto Us a Child is Born 3:46
13. Pifa (“Pastoral Symphony”) 3:02
14. There Were Shepherds Abiding in the Field 0:32
15. And the Angel said unto Them 0:40
16. And Suddenly there was with the Angel 0:16
17. Glory to God 1:46
18. Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion 4:19
19. Then Shall the Eyes of the Blind 0:28
20. He Shall Feed His Flock 5:15
21. His Yoke is Easy 2:13
22. Behold the Lamb of God 2:01
23. He Was Despised 11:11
 DISC TWO

24. Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs 2:32
25. And with His Stripes we are Healed 1:45
26. All we Like Sheep 3:50
27. All They that See Him Laugh Him to Scorn 0:56
28. He Trusted in God 2:28
29. Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart 2:44
30, Behold, and see if there be any Sorrow 1:25
31. He was cut off out of the Land of the Living 0:24
32. But Thou Didst not Leave His Soul in Hell 2:24
33. Lift up Your Heads, O Ye Gates 3:01
34. Unto Which of the Angels said He at any Time 0:25
35. Let all the Angels of God worship Him 1:26
36. Thou Art Gone up on High 3:06
37. The Lord Gave the Word 1:11
38. How Beautiful are the Feet 2:20
39. Their Sound is gone out 1:28
40. Why do the Nations so Furiously Rage Together 3:00
42. He That Dwelleth in Heaven 0:15
43. Thou Shalt Break Them - 1:57
44. Hallelujah 3:35
45. I Know That My Redeemer Liveth 5:14
46. Since by Man Came Death 1:57
47. Behold, I Tell You a Mystery 0:41
48. The Trumpet shall Sound 9:37
49. Then Shall be Brought to Pass 0:15
50. O Death, Where is Thy Sting? 1:02
51. But Thanks be to God 2:08
52. If God be For Us 4:48
53. Worthy is the Lamb that was Slain 3:10
54. Amen 3:28
SITE RATING:  5/10
SITE REVIEW:  An out-of-print all-digital recording from Canadian label Opening Day Records, this 1995 performance features The London Fanshawe Symphonic Chorus, Gerald Fagan Singers, and Concert Players Orchestra under the direction of Gerald Fagan. It's a middle-of-the-road production, with high points including the Concert Players Orchestra, good recorded sound, competent soloists, and strong moments, but undercut by severe, persistent intonation problems within the choir, blocky direction from the conductor, and ornamentation among the soloists that crosses the line of good taste on several occasions.  I had high hopes in the beginning, with the orchestra giving a nice turn on the overture, and tenor soloist Mark DuBois showing good tone on his opening "Comfort Ye", but later he showed a tendency towards muscling through his melismas, a trait which repeated itself with bass Gary Relyea; both showing excellent pitch and tonal control, but exhibiting little sensitivity towards the material - "punching" the notes with great force, and then both adding ornamentation which added to the sense of disconnect with the text.  There are moments that shine: DuBois's "Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart" is gorgeous, and the choir sounds glorious on "Lift Up Your Heads"; but on other moments, the choir is woefully flat: "For Unto Us A Child Is Born" is painful to listen to - and other choruses are simply dull and heavy.  The other soloists are only middling, with both Mezzo Soprano Janis Taylor and Soprano Leslie Fagan sounding a bit chesty and swallowed in their tone.  The recording is so hit and miss, with generous moments of both, that I can only recommend it to ardent collectors.
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