RECORDINGS

LABEL: ENSEMBLEGRAM
CATALOG NUMBER: N/A
UPC NUMBER: N/A
NUMBER OF DISCS: 2
RUNNING TIME: 1:31:45
YEAR RECORDED: 2004
CD RELEASE DATE: APRIL 20, 2011
CONDUCTOR: LYGIA O'RIORDAN
ORCHESTRA: ENSEMBLE XXI MOSCOW
CHOIR: CANTORES MINORES, MARIA STRUVE CHILDREN'S CAPELLA
SOPRANO: LUDMILLA SHILOVA
CONTRALTO: UNKNOWN
TENOR: JAEWOO KIM
BASS: KIRIL KRAJUSHIN
AUDIO SAMPLES HIGHLIGHTS OTHER RELEASES

NONE
NONE
DISC ONE

1. Händel Messiah - Overture     2:59
2. Händel Messiah - Comfort ye 2:43
3. Händel Messiah - Every Valley 3:18
4. Händel Messiah - And the glory of the Lord 2:18
5. Händel Messiah - And he shall purify 2:22
6. Händel Messiah - For unto us a child is born 3:43
7. Händel Messiah - Pastoral Symphony     2:44
8. Händel Messiah - There were shepherds 1:28
9. Händel Messiah - Glory to God 2:07
10. Händel Messiah - Rejoice 4:33
11. Händel Messiah - His yoke is easy 2:38
12. Händel Messiah - Behold the Lamb of God 2:43
13. Händel Messiah - Surely 2:02
14. Händel Messiah - And with His stripes 1:45
15. Händel Messiah - All we like sheep 3:34
16. Händel Messiah - All they that see Him laugh Him to scorn 0:45
17. Händel Messiah - He trusted in God 2:15
18. Händel Messiah - Thy rebuke 1:40
19. Händel Messiah - Behold 1:33
 DISC TWO

20. Händel Messiah - He was cut off 0:21
21. Händel Messiah - But thou didst not leave His soul in hell 2:43
22. Händel Messiah - Lift up your heads 2:55
23. Händel Messiah - Unto which of the Angels 0:19
24. Händel Messiah - Let all the Angels 1:21
25. Händel Messiah - Thou art gone up on high 2:56
26. Händel Messiah - The Lord gave the word 1:14
27. Händel Messiah - How beautiful are the feet 2:13
28. Händel Messiah - Their sound is gone out 1:21
29. Händel Messiah - Why do the nations 2:39
30. Händel Messiah - Let us break their bonds 1:47
31. Händel Messiah - He that dwelleth in Heaven 0:18
32. Händel Messiah - Thou shalt break them 1:58
33. Händel Messiah - Hallelujah 3:49
34. Händel Messiah - I know that my Redeemer liveth 5:03
35. Händel Messiah - Since by man came death 2:06
36. Händel Messiah - If God be for us 4:32
37. Händel Messiah - Worthy is the Lamb 3:31
38. Händel Messiah - Amen 3:29
SITE RATING:  7/10
SITE REVIEW:  This live 2004 recording by Moscow-based Ensemble XXI under the direction of Lygia O'Riordan has many strong points, most notably the Ensemble XXI orchestra giving a finely-honed, historically informed performance, and the soloists and combined choirs having strong, albeit heavily accented, moments throughout.  Strangely, in the heavy editing which this Messiah has had, it appears that all alto arias have been sacrificed, whether due to the unavailability of a soloist, or some artistic choice by the conductor, is a mystery.  This is a swift, light-footed performance, with O'Riordan keeping things brisk and energetic, and only occasionally does the performance feel mechanical; the choirs, which combine the Canotres Minores boy choir and the Maria Struve Children's Capella bring a bright, fresh energy to their performance, with clean precise singing, hampered only by pitch and intonation issues relative to the live setting.  The soloists are mostly fine, with tenor Jaewoo Kim and soprano Ludmilla Shilova having brilliant, commanding tones and masterful melismas; but bass Kiril Krajushin is a weak entry, with a thin, malnourished tessitura and swallowed, unsteady melismas, as well as a distracting regional accent that mangles many of his pronunciations.  Overall, I enjoyed the professionalism of the orchestra, but the heavy cuts, and previously mentioned faults, keep me from giving this an unqualified recommendation.
The Compleat Messiah All Content Copyright © 2011 Bret D. Wheadon
All Rights Reserved.