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RECORDINGS |
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| LABEL: |
MADACY ENTERTAINMENT |
| CATALOG NUMBER: |
HMX-2-0420 |
| UPC NUMBER: |
056775042028 |
| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
2 |
| RUNNING TIME: |
39:41, 41:26 |
| YEAR RECORDED: |
1995 |
| CD RELEASE DATE: |
SEPTEMBER 15, 1998 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
ANDREW LANE |
| ORCHESTRA: |
ORLANDO POPS ORCHESTRA |
| CHOIR: |
ORLANDO POPS CHORUS? |
| SOPRANO: |
HEIDI HOLCOMBE |
| CONTRALTO: |
MARGUERITE KRULL |
| TENOR: |
WILLIAM ADAMS |
| BASS: |
JUSTIN WHITE |
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DISC ONE
1. Sinfony Overture - 3:34
2. Co[m]fort Ye - 2:54
3. Every Valley - 3:17
4. And The Glory of the Lord Shall Be Revealed - 3:02
5. Thus Saith The Lord - 1:24
6. But who My Abide The Day of His Coming 4:33
7. Behold, A Virgin Shall Conceive - :24
8. O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings To Zion - 5:34
9. For Behold, Darkness Shall Cover The Earth - 3:45
10. The People That Walked In Darkness - 3:45
11. For Unto Us A Child Is Born 3:50
12. Pifa (Pastoral Symphony) - 1:17
13. There Were Shepherds Abiding In The Field - :15
14. And Lo, The Angel of the Lord - :23
15. And The Angel Said Unto Them - :42
16. And Suddenly There Was With The Angel/Glory To God - 2:14
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DISC TWO
1. Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter Of Zion -
4:30
2. Then Shall The Eyes of the Blind be Opened - :24
3. And He Shall Feed His Flock Like A Shepherd - 5:38
4. Behold The Lamb Of God - 2:57
5. Thou Art Gone Up On High - 3:05
6. He That Dwelleth In Heaven - :14
7. Thou Shalt Break Them - 2:11
8. Hallelujah - 3:34
9. I Know That My Redeemer Liveth - 5:25
10. Since By Man Came Death 1:52
11. Behold I Tell You A Mystery / The Trumpet(s) Shall Sound - 4:24
12. Worthy Is The Lamb / Amen [Chorus] - 6:56
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SITE RATING: 0/10
SITE REVIEW:
Madacy Entertainment, the purveyors of cheap,
disposable, music-for-the-masses, muddied the waters of their already bloated Messiah output with this Orlando Pops recording, which, in appearance, is
nearly-identical to the omnipresent
Susskind Messiah .
In fact, outwardly this release appears so nearly identical to the
Susskind release, that for a long time I thought it was the same
performance. And despite the fact that several deluded
individuals are attempting to sell this album for upwards of
$100.00 in some online marketplaces - it is in reality a severely
truncated, cheaply-produced and indifferently performed set. Whether
its the horrifically tacky hot-pink and blue silk-screened nativity
scene imprinted on the CDs (which looks like something out of Dante's
Inferno, rather than the birth of the Christ child), or the
ineptly-proofed track listing which is riddled with errors, the
shoddiness and disdain Madacy shows for their product is
astounding.
As to the performance, Madacy makes the statement on the packaging that
this is a "Christmas" (read: half of the oratorio has been cut
out) version of Messiah for Chamber Choir and Orchestra, so
despite the statement that this is the Orlando Pops, it's more like the
Orlando string quartet with harpsichord, accompanied with a 20-voice
Choir (in a nice touch, each of the Choir members are listed by name).
So it's a very small ensemble, recorded very closely, leaving
little room for ambiance - the entire recording has a piercing, harsh
tone to the sound which is somewhat painful to listen to. Tenor
William Adams similarly cuts through the speakers with his strident,
bright tone, which, although in tune, sounds rote and muscled.
The chamber choir is top-heavy in its sound and disunified.
Bass Justin White has a resplendent tone, but is unequal to the
technical requirements of the melismas. Alto Marguerite Krull sounds
dull and disinterested, and worst of all, soprano Heidi Holcombe is
horrific - alternately piercing and fluttery her manic delivery has the
effect of sounding shrill and somewhat demented. Conductor Andrew
Lane's direction is totally mechanical - a painful
going-through-the-motions effort that defies any attempt to impart life
or meaning to this immortal work. In short, this is easily one of
the worst Messiahs to ever hit the market. A sad and pathetic performance and release.
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