|
RECORDINGS |
|
| LABEL: |
ARCHIV |
| CATALOG
NUMBER: |
453-464-2 |
| UPC NUMBER: |
028945346427 |
| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
2 |
| RUNNING
TIME: |
79:57,
52:22 |
| YEAR
RECORDED: |
1997 |
| CD
RELEASE DATE: |
AUGUST
1, 1997 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
PAUL
MCCREESH |
| ORCHESTRA: |
GABRIELI
CONSORT & PLAYERS |
| CHOIR: |
GABRIELI
CONSORT & PLAYERS |
| SOPRANO
I: |
DOROTHEA
RÖSCHMANN |
| SOPRANO II: |
SUSAN
GRITTON |
| CONTRALTO: |
BERNARDA
FINK |
| TENOR: |
CHARLES
DANIELS |
| BASS: |
NEAL
DAVIES |
|
|
|
DISC
ONE
1.
Symphony Gabrieli
Players 3:22
2. "Comfort ye, My people" Charles
Daniels 3:35
3. "Ev'ry Valley shall be exalted"
Charles Daniels 3:04
4. "And the glory of the Lord" Gabrieli
Players 2:50
5. "Thus saith the Lord" Neal
Davies 1:19
6. "But who may abide the day of his
coming" Susan
Gritton 3:51
7. "And He shall purify the sons of Levi"
Gabrieli Players 2:22
8. "Behold, a virgin shall conceive"
Bernarda Fink 0:26
9. "O thou that tellest good tidings to
Zion" Bernarda
Fink 4:47
10. "For behold, darkness shall cover"
Neal Davies 2:14
11. "The people that walked in darkness"
Neal Davies 3:58
12. "For unto us a Child is born"
Gabrieli Players 3:36
13. Pifa (Pastoral Symphony) Gabrieli
Players 0:38
14. "There were shepherds... And lo, the angel of the Lord...And the
angel said unto them...And suddenly"
Dorothea
Röschmann 1:02
15. "Glory to God in the highest"
Gabrieli Players 1:41
16. "Rejoice greatly, o daughter of Zion"
Dorothea Röschmann 3:46
17. "Then shall the eyes of the blind"
Susan Gritton 0:20
18. "He shall feed his Flock" Susan
Gritton 4:18
19. "His yoke is easy" Gabrieli
Players 2:03
20. "Behold the Lamb of God" Gabrieli
Players 3:09
21. "He was despised" Bernarda
Fink 12:11
22. "Surely He hath borne our griefs"
Gabrieli Players 1:38
23. "And with His stripes we are healed"
Gabrieli Players 1:44
24. "All we like sheep have gone astray"
Gabrieli Players 3:20
25. "All they that see Him" Charles
Daniels 0:39
26. "He trusted in God" Gabrieli
Players 2:03
27. "Thy rebuke hath broken His heart"
Charles Daniels 2:03
28. "Behold and see" Charles
Daniels 1:30
29. "He was cut off" Susan
Gritton 0:14
30. "But thou didst not leave his soul in
Hell" Susan
Gritton 2:03
|
DISC
TWO
1.
"Lift up your heads" Gabrieli
Players 2:47
2. "Unto which of the angels" Charles
Daniels 0:15
3. "Let all the angels of God" Gabrieli
Players 1:21
4. "Thou art gone up on high" Dorothea
Röschmann 2:46
5. "The Lord gave the word" Gabrieli
Players 1:05
6. "How beautiful are the feet" Susan
Gritton 2:00
7. "Their sound is gone out" Gabrieli
Players 1:17
8. "Why do the nations so furiously rage
together?" Neal
Davies 1:14
9. "Let us break their bonds asunder"
Gabrieli Players 1:37
10. "He that dwelleth in heaven...Thou shalt break
them" Charles
Daniels 2:06
11. "Hallelujah" Gabrieli
Players 3:34
12. "I know that my Redeemer liveth"
Susan Gritton 6:23
13. "Since by man came death" Gabrieli
Players 2:03
14. "Behold, I tell you a mystery" Neal
Davies 0:32
15. "The trumpet shall sound" Neal
Davies 8:19
16. "Then shall be brought to pass"
Bernarda Fink 0:14
17. "O death where is thy sting?"
Bernarda Fink 0:53
18. "But thanks be to God" Gabrieli
Players 1:56
19. "If God be for us" Dorothea
Röschmann 4:13
20. "Worthy is the Lamb... Amen" Gabrieli
Players 7:34
|
|
SITE RATING:
6/10
SITE REVIEW:
Paul McCreesh made
a huge splash with his period-performances of Handel's Saul,
Solomon,
and Theodora;
his readings were extraordinary - bright, electrifying, and
reinvigorating. So, when Messiah
was announced as his next project, expectations were naturally very
high, and the pre-publicity heralded the new recording as a benchmark
in baroque interpretation. However, the recording, when
released,
instead of generating the high praise that was expected, was decidedly
mixed. Yes, this recording is technically brilliant, the
Gabrieli
Consort & Players bringing their "A" game, with stunningly
precise
attacks and dynamics - the singing especially is brilliant and
effortless. But the recording is also cold, brittle, and even
clinical in its tempos and spirit. You could argue that this
recording is a prime example of the greatest pitfall of the
so-called "period-instrument" movement among Handellians - it
sacrifices pure emotion for artistry - style over substance, head for
heart. McCreesh's swift tempos take liberties that the text
doesn't call for - the soloists engage in ornate ornamentation that
detracts from the lyric, and the entire oratorio takes on an icy beauty
that is again, admirable, but unengaging. A small admission -
after my disallusionment with the Carl Davis Messiah,
this was the second Messiah
that I purchased, and at the time I thought it was a revelation, but
further listening has greatly tempered that impression - there are
other period instrument Messiahs
that manage to capture the emotion as well as technical brilliance,
that I much
prefer to this one.
|
|
