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SITE RATING:  8/10 SITE REVIEW:  This sixty-minute highlights video of Robert Shaw and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus performing Messiah captures all the strict mannerisms and exactness of Shaw.  In fact, this recording can almost be considered a video document of Shaw's 1984 Messiah, captured on Telarc, since it uses most of the same forces as that recording, including soloists Syvia McNair and tenor Jon Humphrey.  Shaw is nothing if not completely professional; he conducts the Atlanta Symphony with a sure, if square sensibility - this is a well-behaved, mannered Messiah, dry, but admirable.  The production values are very high, with smooth, multiple camera angles, and good, if limited sound.  Tenor Jon Humphrey is superb in his moments, The Atlanta Symphony Chorus is similarly cast, with a exceptionally smooth, but detached manner, that perfectly captures the music of Messiah, with excellent diction and blend.  Bass William Stone sings with a firm, rigorous tone, perfectly attuned to Shaw's reading; mezzo-soprano Marietta Simpson sounds glorious - rich and pitch-perfect, while Syvia McNair is again, perfectly suited to Handel's arias, and moreover, brings a splendid warmth to her performance, which is lacking in every other peformer present.  For technical prowess, this Messiah rates a ten, but its detached, somewhat robotic flavor keeps it from being a complete success.

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