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RECORDINGS |
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| LABEL: |
ABC CLASSICS |
| CATALOG NUMBER: |
ABC 476 289-0 |
| UPC NUMBER: |
0028947628903 |
| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
3 |
| RUNNING TIME: |
53:40, 52:38, 53:03 |
| YEAR RECORDED: |
2004 |
| CD RELEASE DATE: |
2004 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
ANTONY WALKER, VARIOUS |
| ORCHESTRA: |
ORCHESTRA OF THE
ANTIPODES, VARIOUS |
| CHOIR: |
CANTILLATION, VARIOUS |
| SOPRANO: |
SARA MACLIVER, ISOBEL
BAILLIE |
| COUNTERTENOR: |
CHRISTOPHER FIELD |
| TENOR: |
PAUL MCMAHON, PETER
SCHREIER |
| BASS: |
TEDDY TAHU RHODES |
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| AUDIO SAMPLES |
HIGHLIGHTS |
OTHER RELEASES |
NONE
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NONE
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NONE
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DISC ONE
1. Introduction - 4:43
2. The Text - 3:09
3. The coming of the Messiah: Isaiah - 5:11
4. The coming of the Messiah: the minor
prophets - 7:33
5. The coming of the Messiah: Isaiah
revisited - 4:01
6. The birth of the Messiah - 16:46
7. The life of the Messiah - 11:34
8. Conclusion - 0:43
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DISC TWO
1. Introduction - 0:36
2. The death of the Messiah - 8:51
3. The Passion choruses - 14:54
4. The resurrection and ascension of the
Messiah - 11:48
5. The propagation of the Gospel - 2:27
6. The rejection of the Gospel - 4:44
7. The victory of the Messiah over the
enemies of the Gospel - 8:40
8. Conclusion 0:43
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DISC THREE
1. Introduction 0:50
2. The individual's life of faith 6:56
3. The resurrection of the faithful 9:55
4. The believer's confidence 2:53
5. The vision of eternity 8:53
6. Handel and Messiah
2:44
7. Mozart and Messiah
3:56
8. The Crystal Palace performances 5:30
9. Sir Malcolm Sargent and Messiah
5:37
10. Sir Thomas Beecham, Sir Eugene
Goossens and Messiah 5:21
11. Conclusion 0:34 |
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SITE RATING: 8/10
SITE REVIEW:
ABC Classics, using (mostly) their own 2002 recording
of Messiah with Antony Walker,
put together this three-hour radio program, narrated by Graham Abbott
in 2004. As an "introduction" to Handel's Messiah, it's an
excellent audio overview of the oratorio - breaking it down into three
main parts, (one on each disc) and each disc covering the three
sections of Messiah, with audio samples taken from the Walker Messiah,
and one track each from various re-arrangements, namely, the 1974 Mackerras Der Messias
(arr. Mozart), the 1926 "Crystal Palace" Henry
Wood-conducted Messiah
(arr. Michael Costa and Henry Wood); the 1946 Malcolm Sargent Messiah
(arr. Sargent); and the 1959 Thomas
Beecham Messiah (arr.
Eugene Goossens) which all make their appearance on the final disc.
The narration is well-done, with both historical, textual and
musicological examinations of the oratorios various themes, sources,
and origins, referencing the original performers, Handel's own changes
that he made due to the strengths of his forces, the friction which
rose between Handel and Jennens over Handel's setting of the texts; the
operatic influences in Messiah,
the sources for the various "borrowed" pieces within the work; and
much, much more. Granted, none of this is examined in much depth
- Abbott's narration is limited due to the extended (although edited)
audio clips which pepper the program, but I was impressed by how much
information, and how little "fluff" the writers were able to transcribe
into each disc. Abbott doesn't talk "down" to the listener, but
assumes a level of education and interest in his audience that was on
par with other high-end documentary works. It would be nice to
have a program like this on video, since visual accompaniment would
further enhance the educational and entertainment value of this
documentary. As it is, I learned some things, and appreciated the
effort that went into making Messiah more approachable to new listeners.
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