RECORDINGS

LABEL: MEDIAPHON GMBH
CATALOG NUMBER: MED 72.159
UPC NUMBER: 4010271721593
NUMBER OF DISCS: 1
RUNNING TIME: 58:31
YEAR RECORDED: 1996
CD RELEASE DATE: 1996
CONDUCTOR: ROLF SCHWEIZER
ORCHESTRA: GERMAN BAROQUE SOLOISTS SOUTH
CHOIR: PFORZHEIM MOTET CHOIR
SOPRANO: N/A
CONTRALTO: N/A
TENOR: N/A
BASS: N/A

 
AVAILABLE
FOR
PURCHASE
AT
BAYER MUSIC GROUP
AUDIO SAMPLES HIGHLIGHTS OTHER RELEASES

DISC ONE

1. Sinfony 3.17
2. And the glory of the Lord 2.54
3. And He shall purify 2.28
4. O thou that tellest 1.41
5. For unto us a child is born 3.59
6. Pifa 2.53
7. Glory to God 1.46
8. His yoke is easy 2.20
9. Behold the Lamb of God 2.49
10. Surely He hath borne our grief 1.44
11. And with His stripes we are healed 1.59
12. All we like sheep 4.01
13. He trusted in God 2.28
14. Lift up your heads 3.09
15. Let all the angels of God 1.24
16. The Lord gave the word 1.07
17. Their sound has gone out 1.34
18. Let us break their bons asunder 1.52
19. Hallelujah 3.35
20. Since by man came death 1.58
21. But thanks be to God 2.08
22. Worthy is the Lamb 3.16
23. Amen 3.13
SITE RATING:  8/10
SITE REVIEW:  I originally heard this performance as part of the 111 Handel Masterpieces set available as a digital download, and that eleven-song "highlights" set made me crave more; and, after a little on-line searching, I found the original performance disc - a twenty-three track German release on the Mediaphon label, which contains a hefty additional helping of choruses.  I also discovered that this disc hailed from earlier than I'd at first supposed, recorded in 1996.  This performance, by the German Baroque Soloists South (South?) and the Pforzheim Motet Choir is perfectly balanced for their small forces - I was strongly impressed by how "bird-like" their performance is - quick and nimble, with a light-footedness that sets it apart from other Messiahs which I've heard.  The forces assembled are so small (at least, it sounds like it), that everyone moves as one; their diction is very good, their tempos are wonderfully brisk, their tone is splendid and bright, and everything flits along very neatly.  I was enchanted, and again wished that this organization could mount a complete recording of Handel's oratorio - based on what I heard here, I believe it would become a favorite of mine.  I've only found the physical copy online at the Bayer Music Group website, while the very brief set of outtakes is available online from Amazon.com.
The Compleat Messiah All Content Copyright © 2010 Bret D. Wheadon
All Rights Reserved.