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RECORDINGS |
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| LABEL: |
NOBLE
CREEK PRODUCTION SERVICES, INC. |
| CATALOG
NUMBER: |
N/A |
| UPC NUMBER: |
N/A |
| NUMBER
OF DISCS: |
2 |
| RUNNING
TIME: |
74:05;
61:34 |
| DATE
RECORDED: |
MAY
18, 1996 |
| CD
RELEASE DATE: |
1996 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
JAMES
F. WEAVER |
| ORCHESTRA: |
THE
SACRED MUSIC PROJECT BAROQUE ENSEMBLE |
| CHOIR: |
THE
WILLIAMSBURG PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
CHANCEL CHOIR |
| SOPRANO: |
GEORGEANN
PADDOCK |
| MEZZO
SOPRANO: |
ORY
BROWN |
| TENOR: |
DAREN
BASNIGHT |
| BASS: |
FRANK
WARD |
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| AUDIO SAMPLES |
HIGHLIGHTS |
OTHER RELEASES |
NONE
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NONE
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NONE
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DISC
ONE
1.
Sinfonia
2. Recit (tenor) - Comfort ye my people
3. Air (tenor) - Every valley shall be exalted
4. Chorus — And the glory of the Lord
5. Recit (Bass) - Thus saith the Lord
6. Air (Soprano) — But who may abide
7. Chorus - And He shall purify
8. Recit (Alto) - Behold a virgin shall conceive
9. Air & Chorus (Alto) - O thou that tellest good tidings
10 Recit (Bass) - For behold darkness shall cover the earth
11. Recit (Bass) - The people that walked in darkness
12. Chorus - For unto us a child is born
13. Pifa
14. Recit (Soprano) - There were shepherds / And suddenly
15. Recit (Soprano) - And the angel said unto them
16. Recit (Soprano) - And suddenly there was with the angels
17. Chorus - Glory to God
18. Air (Soprano) - Rejoice greatly
19. Recit (Alto) - Then shall the eyes of the blind
20. Air (Soprano) - He shall feed his flock
21. Chorus - His yoke is easy
22. Chorus - Behold the lamb of God
23. Air (Alto) - He was despised
24. Chorus - Surely he hath borne our griefs
25. Chorus - And with his stripes
26. Chorus - All we like sheep
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DISC
TWO
1. Air
(Tenor) — All they that see him
2. Chorus - He trusted in God
3. Recit (Tenor) - Thy rebuke hath broken his heart
4. Air (Tenor) - Behold and see
5. Recit (Soprano) - He was cut off
6. Air (Soprano) - But thou didst not leave his soul in hell
7. Chorus - Lift up your heads
8. Recit (Tenor) - Unto which of the angels
9. Chorus - Let all the angels of God
10. Air (Soprano - Thou art gone up on high
11. Chorus - The Lord gave the word
12. Air (Alto) - How beautiful are the feet
13. Chorus - Their sound is gone out
14. Air (Bass) - Why do the nations
15. Chorus - Let us break their bonds
16. Recit (Tenor) - He that dwelleth in heaven
17. Air (Tenor) - Thou shalt break them
18. Chorus - Halleluiah
19. Air (Soprano) - I know that my redeemer liveth
20. Chorus - Since by man came death
21. Recit (Bass) - Behold I tell you a mystery
22. Air (Bass) - The trumpet shall sound
23. Recit (Alto) - Then shall be brought to pass
24. Duet (Alto & Tenor) - O death, where is thy sting?
25. Chorus - But thanks be to God
Air (Alto) If God be for us
(omitted from this
recording}
26. Chorus - Worthy is the lamb
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SITE RATING:
6/10
SITE REVIEW:
James F. Weaver, of the Williamsburg Presbyterian Church (not to
be confused with the previously-reviewed James Weaver
Smithsonian recording), conducted this live performance of Messiah in 1996, and it was
preserved on this surprisingly good double-disc set, which, although it
suffers faults from it's single session and the live setting, is a very
fine performance from this amateur group, with soloists, chorus, and
orchestral playing and singing with a conviction and polish that they
can be proud of.
Tenor Daren Basnight has a fine, commanding tone, albeit accompanied by
a fluttery vibrato, which suits the arias very well. Bass Frank
Ward is excellent - with a bright, engaging timbre and searing melismas
that he masters with panache. Unfortunately, he sounds buried in
the mix, with none of the immediate presence his performance
demands. Soprano Georgeann Paddock is bright and flute-like, with
a very pleasant timbre and easiness to her arias. And
mezzo-soprano Ory Brown is similarly excellent, with a darker tone
which superbly compliments Ms. Paddock's brighter moments.
The Choir sounds solid and confident - unfortunately they suffer from
uneven mic'ing, which thrusts some parts to the back of the mix, while
other parts (and voices) pop out - overall it's a muddy choral mix,
which is one of the biggest faults of the recording.
The Sacred Music Project Baroque Ensemble plays on period instruments,
and although proficient, intonation and various faults creep into the
performance regularly, again, mostly the fault of having a single, live
performance to work from. Weaver's direction can best be
described as solid; the tempi are square and competent, but his lines
rarely sing - still, there are several effective dynamic moments, and
this recording is worth seeking out for collectors of rare Messiahs.
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