| RECORDINGS |
|
| LABEL: |
ARCHIV |
| CATALOG
NUMBER: |
453-464-2 |
| UPC
NUMBER: |
028945346427 |
| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
2 |
| RUNNING TIME: |
79:57,
52:22 |
| YEAR
RECORDED: |
1997 |
| CD
RELEASE
DATE: |
AUGUST
1,
1997 |
| CONDUCTOR: |
PAUL
MCCREESH |
| ORCHESTRA: |
GABRIELI
CONSORT
& PLAYERS |
| CHOIR: |
GABRIELI
CONSORT
& PLAYERS |
| SOPRANO
I: |
DOROTHEA
RÖSCHMANN |
| SOPRANO II: |
SUSAN
GRITTON |
| CONTRALTO: |
BERNARDA
FINK |
| TENOR: |
CHARLES
DANIELS |
| BASS: |
NEAL
DAVIES |
|
|
| AUDIO SAMPLES |
HIGHLIGHTS |
OTHER
RELEASES |
| NONE |
|
      |
|
DISC ONE
1. Symphony
Gabrieli Players
3:22
2. "Comfort ye, My
people" Charles
Daniels 3:35
3. "Ev'ry Valley shall be
exalted" Charles
Daniels 3:04
4. "And the glory of the
Lord" Gabrieli
Players 2:50
5. "Thus saith the
Lord" Neal
Davies 1:19
6. "But who may abide the day of his
coming" Susan
Gritton 3:51
7. "And He shall purify the sons of
Levi" Gabrieli
Players 2:22
8. "Behold, a virgin shall
conceive" Bernarda
Fink 0:26
9. "O thou that tellest good tidings to
Zion" Bernarda
Fink 4:47
10. "For behold, darkness shall
cover" Neal
Davies 2:14
11. "The people that walked in
darkness" Neal
Davies 3:58
12. "For unto us a Child is
born" Gabrieli
Players 3:36
13. Pifa (Pastoral
Symphony) Gabrieli
Players 0:38
14. "There were shepherds... And lo, the
angel of the Lord...And the angel said
unto them...And
suddenly" Dorothea
Röschmann 1:02
15. "Glory to God in the
highest" Gabrieli
Players 1:41
16. "Rejoice greatly, o daughter of
Zion" Dorothea
Röschmann 3:46
17. "Then shall the eyes of the
blind" Susan
Gritton 0:20
18. "He shall feed his
Flock" Susan
Gritton 4:18
19. "His yoke is easy"
Gabrieli Players 2:03
20. "Behold the Lamb of
God" Gabrieli
Players 3:09
21. "He was despised"
Bernarda Fink 12:11
22. "Surely He hath borne our
griefs" Gabrieli
Players 1:38
23. "And with His stripes we are
healed" Gabrieli
Players 1:44
24. "All we like sheep have gone
astray" Gabrieli
Players 3:20
25. "All they that see
Him" Charles
Daniels 0:39
26. "He trusted in
God" Gabrieli
Players 2:03
27. "Thy rebuke hath broken His
heart" Charles
Daniels 2:03
28. "Behold and see"
Charles Daniels 1:30
29. "He was cut off"
Susan Gritton 0:14
30. "But thou didst not leave his soul
in Hell" Susan
Gritton 2:03
|
DISC TWO
1. "Lift up your
heads" Gabrieli
Players 2:47
2. "Unto which of the
angels" Charles
Daniels 0:15
3. "Let all the angels of
God" Gabrieli
Players 1:21
4. "Thou art gone up on
high" Dorothea
Röschmann 2:46
5. "The Lord gave the
word" Gabrieli
Players 1:05
6. "How beautiful are the
feet" Susan
Gritton 2:00
7. "Their sound is gone
out" Gabrieli
Players 1:17
8. "Why do the nations so furiously rage
together?" Neal
Davies 1:14
9. "Let us break their bonds
asunder" Gabrieli
Players 1:37
10. "He that dwelleth in heaven...Thou
shalt break them"
Charles Daniels 2:06
11. "Hallelujah"
Gabrieli Players 3:34
12. "I know that my Redeemer
liveth" Susan
Gritton 6:23
13. "Since by man came
death" Gabrieli
Players 2:03
14. "Behold, I tell you a
mystery" Neal
Davies 0:32
15. "The trumpet shall
sound" Neal
Davies 8:19
16. "Then shall be brought to
pass" Bernarda
Fink 0:14
17. "O death where is thy
sting?" Bernarda
Fink 0:53
18. "But thanks be to
God" Gabrieli
Players 1:56
19. "If God be for us"
Dorothea Röschmann
4:13
20. "Worthy is the Lamb...
Amen" Gabrieli
Players 7:34
|
|
SITE RATING: 6/10
SITE
REVIEW: Paul McCreesh
made a huge splash with his
period-performances of Handel's Saul,
Solomon,
and Theodora;
his readings were extraordinary - bright,
electrifying, and reinvigorating. So,
when Messiah
was announced as his next project,
expectations were naturally very high, and the
pre-publicity heralded the new recording as a
benchmark in baroque interpretation.
However, the recording, when released,
instead of generating the high praise that was
expected, was decidedly mixed. Yes, this
recording is technically brilliant, the
Gabrieli Consort & Players bringing their
"A" game, with stunningly precise attacks and
dynamics - the singing especially is brilliant
and effortless. But the recording is
also cold, brittle, and even clinical in its
tempos and spirit. You could argue that
this recording is a prime example of the
greatest pitfall of the so-called
"period-instrument" movement among Handellians
- it sacrifices pure emotion for artistry -
style over substance, head for heart.
McCreesh's swift tempos take liberties
that the text doesn't call for - the soloists
engage in ornate ornamentation that detracts
from the lyric, and the entire oratorio takes
on an icy beauty that is again, admirable, but
unengaging. A small admission - after my
disillusionment with the Carl
Davis Messiah,
this was the second Messiah that I purchased,
and at the time I thought it was a revelation,
but further listening has greatly tempered
that impression - there are other period
instrument Messiahs
that manage to capture the emotion as well as
technical brilliance, that I much prefer to
this one.
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