RECORDINGS

LABEL: TELARC
CATALOG NUMBER: 80322
UPC NUMBER: 089408032226
NUMBER OF DISCS: 2
RUNNING TIME: 132:02
YEAR RECORDED: 1992
CD RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 21, 1992
CONDUCTOR: MARTIN PEARLMAN
ORCHESTRA: BOSTON BAROQUE
CHOIR: BOSTON BAROQUE
SOPRANO: KAREN CLIFT
MEZZO-SOPRANO: CATHERINE ROBBIN
TENOR: BRUCE FOWLER
BASS: VICTOR LEDBETTER
AUDIO SAMPLES HIGHLIGHTS OTHER RELEASES
DISC ONE


1. Sinfonia
2. "Comfort ye, my people"
3. "Every valley shall be exalted"
4. "And the glory of the Lord"
5. "Thus saith the Lord"
6. "But who may abide"
7. "And He shall purify"
8. "Behold, a virgin shall conceive"    
9. "O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion"
10. "For behold, darkness shall cover the earth"
11. "The people that walked in darkness"
12. "For unto us a Child is born"
13. Pifa (Pastoral Symphony)
14. "There were shepherds"    
15. "And the angel said unto them"
16. "And Suddenly there was with the angel"    
17. "Glory to God"    
18. "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion"    
19. "Then shall the eyes of the blind"    
20. "He shall feed His flock like a shepherd"    
21. "His yoke is easy"
22. "Behold the lamb of God"
23. "He was despised"
 DISC TWO

1. "Surely he hath borne our griefs"
2. "And with His stripes we are healed"
3. "All we like sheep"
4. "All they that see him"
5. "He trusted in God"
6. "Thy rebuke hath broken His heart"
7. "Behold, and see if there be any sorrow"
8. "He was cut off out of the land of the living"    
9. "But thou didst not leave his soul in Hell"
10. "Lift up your heads"
11. "Unto which of the angels"    
12. "Let all the angels of God worship Him"
13. "Thou art gone up on high"
14. "The Lord gave the word '
15. "How beautiful are the feet"
16. "Why do the nations?"
17. "Let us break their bonds asunder"
18. "He that dwelleth in heaven"    
19. "Thou shall break them"
20. "Hallelujah"
21. "I know that my Redeemer liveth"    
22. "Since by man came death"
23. "Behold, I tell you a mystery"
24. "The trumpet shall be brought to pass'
25. "O death, where is thy sting?"    
26. "But thanks be to God"    
27. "If God be for us"
28. "Worthy is the lamb...Amen"
SITE RATING:  8/10
SITE REVIEW:  This is a very solid, sure performance of Messiah, as performed by The Boston Baroque under the baton of Martin Pearlman.  The liner notes make particular mention of the thought that went into assembling the forces, both for size and sound, and as a result of their thoughtful efforts, this Messiah sounds very easy and assured.  Tenor Bruce Fowler is a heroic, powerful presence, the Boston Baroque plays and sings with mature confidence and control, again, perhaps with a touch of ...shall I say "smugness" at the surety of their sound, but when you sound this good, much is forgiven.  Of the other soloists, alto Catherine Robbin sings with a pleasantly light tessatura, which I much prefer over darker tones; soprano Karen Clift is a bit bright in her tone for my tastes, and pronounces her vowels with occasional affectedness (pronouncing "gospel" as "gos-SPELL"); while bass Victor Ledbetter is an almost proto-typical Wagnerian bass, all bluster and throatiness.  The digital sound is no longer state-of-the-art, sounding a bit compressed and dim when compared to more recent releases, but has wonderful separation and clarity.  This is a marvelous Messiah which should easily please most, certainly belongs in all Messiah collections, and could be considered a first choice for the novice.
The Compleat Messiah All Content Copyright © 2009 Bret D. Wheadon
All Rights Reserved.