SITE RATING: 6/10
SITE REVIEW:
The
rating above is not so much for the quality of the music, or the
performance per se, but for the video quality, which seems far poorer
than the age of the film would seem to imply; and for the choice of the
director to shoot the soloists in extreme close-up, occasionally full
face on, which give the viewer the uncomfortable sensation of being
stared at - and worse, being sung at,
rather than to. If you close you eyes and listen, there is
much
to charm; Hogwood's performance, although filmed a year after his
ground-breaking recording, is very similar to that previous
performance; utilizing the same soloists and orchestra, although for
this filming the Choir of Westminster Abbey takes the place of the
Choir of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, with no discernible degrading
of performance. The video, while adequate for video tape,
fares
far worse on DVD, with flat colors, noticeable grain, and a
distractingly high amount of blurriness and softness in the wide shots.
The tendency of the director to shoot the soloists full face
on
is often uncomfortable, with bass David Thomas particularly disturbing;
his intense stare, directly into the camera during his solos, is more
reminiscent of a scene from Faust
than is appropriate for Messiah.
Conversely, tenor Paul Elliott looks like a frightened deer
caught in the headlights during his close-ups. But overall,
the
attitudes of all involved is very cool and detached, leaving me to
suggest that despite the excellence of the talents involved, this Messiah is better
heard than seen.
|
