| RECORDINGS |
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| LABEL: |
ALM
RECORDS
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| CATALOG
NUMBER: |
ALCD-1051-1052
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| UPC
NUMBER: |
UNKNOWN
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| NUMBER OF DISCS: |
2
|
| RUNNING TIME: |
78:23;
78:47
|
| YEAR
RECORDED: |
2002
|
| CD
RELEASE DATE: |
2003
|
| CONDUCTOR: |
GENZOH
TAKEHISA
|
| ORCHESTRA: |
CONVERSUM
MUSICUM
|
| CHOIR: |
KOKUBUNJI
CHAMBER CHOIR
|
| SOPRANO: |
MATSUDO
KUMI MEGUMI; KITAGAKI JUNKO;
NAGURA AYAKO
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| ALTO: |
AOKI
YO也
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| TENOR: |
KAZUTAKA
NOMURA; OIKAWA RICH
|
| BASS: |
KOZAKAI
TAKAO; JULIAN RIPPON; KASUGA HO
JIN
|
|
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DISC ONE
1. Sinfonia 03:53
2. Recitative: Comfort ye my people
(Tenor) 03:23
3. Aria: Ev'ry valley shall be exalted
(Tenor) 04:14
4. And the glory of the Lord shall be
revealed (Chorus) 02:46
5. Accompanied Recitative: Thus saith the
Lord (Bass) 01:35
6. Aria: But who may abide the day of His
coming (Bass) 04:45
7. And He shall purify (Chorus) 02:32
8. Behold, a virgin shall conceive (Alto)
00:29
9. O thou that tellest good tidings to
Zion (Alto) 06:09
10. For behold, darkness shall cover the
earth (Bass) 01:49
11. Aria: The people that walked in
darkness (Bass) 05:22
12. For unto us a child is born (Chorus)
04:29
13. Pifa (Pastoral Symphony) 02:59
14. Recitative: There were shepards
(Tenor) 00:18
15. And lo, the Angel of the Lord
(Soprano) 00:19
16. And the angel said unto them (Tenor)
00:38
17. Recitative: And suddenly there was
with the angel (Soprano) 00:15
18. Glory to God in the highest (Chorus)
01:53
19. Aria: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of
Zion (Soprano) 06:12
20. Recitative: Then shall the eyes of the
blind be open'd (Soprano) 00:31
21. Aria: He shall feed His flock like a
shepherd (Soprano) 05:22
22. His yoke is easy, his burthen is light
(Chorus) 02:20
23. Behold, the Lamb of God (Chorus) 03:23
24. Aria: He was despised (Alto) 12:33
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DISC TWO
1. Surely, He hath borne our griefs
(Chorus) 02:05
2. And with His stripes we are healed
(Chorus) 01:52
3. All we like sheep have gone astray
(Chorus) 04:27
4. Recitative: All they that see Him Laugh
Him to scorn (Alto) 00:43
5. He trusted in God (Chorus) 02:15
6. Accompanied Recitative: Thy rebuke hath
broken His heart (Soprano) 01:34
7. Behold, and see if there be any sorrow
(Soprano) 01:55
8. Recitative: He was cut off out of the
land of the living (Tenor) 00:20
9. Aria: But thou didst not leave His soul
in hell (Tenor) 03:10
10. Lift up your heads, O ye gates
(Chorus) 03:34
11. Unto which of the Angels (Tenor) 00:18
12. Let all the angels of God worship Him
(Chorus) 01:23
13. Thou art gone up on high (Bass) 03:07
14. The Lord gave the word (Chorus) 01:12
15. Duet: How beautiful are the feet (2
Tenors) 05:17
16. Their sound is gone out into all lands
(Tenor) 01:40
17. Aria: Why do the nations so furiously
rage together (Bass) 02:48
18. Let us Break their Bonds Asunder
(Chorus) 01:31
19. Recitative: He that Dwelleth in Heaven
(Tenor) 00:16
20. Air: Thou shalt Break them with a Rod
of Iron (Tenor) 02:03
21. Hallelujah (Chorus) 03:54
22. Aria: I know that my redeemer liveth
(Soprano) 07:06
23. Since by man came death
(Chorus)
00:02:22
24. Recitative: Behold, I tell you a
mystery (Bass) 00:34
25. Aria: The trumpet shall sound (Bass)
04:45
26. Then shall be brought to pass the
saying (Alto) 00:20
27. Duet: O death, where is thy sting
(Alto, Tenor) 01:10
28. But thanks be to God (Chorus) 02:31
29. Aria: If God be for us (Alto) 06:17
30. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain …
Amen (Chorus) 08:10
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SITE RATING: 9/10
SITE
REVIEW: An extremely
strong entry in the small pool of
Japanese-produced Messiahs which I've been
able to discover, this 2002 effort by Genzoh
Tokehisa conducting the Conversum Musicum and
Kokubunji Chamber Choir is full of muscular
accents and sure-handed direction, making this
an almost evenly-matched toss-up between this
recording and the Masaaki
Suzuki Messiah from 1996.
Utilizing a multiplicity of soloists, it's
hard for me to determine exactly who is
singing what (the liner notes are all in
Japanese), but they are uniformly excellent,
exhibiting mastery over the strict melismas
and fiery readings which the oratorio
demands. The playing is highly
delineated and measured - it gives me the
impression of forces holding themselves back -
resulting in a remarkable tension which keeps
everything vibrant and on edge. The
Kokobunji Chamber Choir is also remarkably
unified and supple, perfectly at ease with the
demands of the piece, sounding just as
committed and unified as their orchestral
counterparts in the Conversum Musicum.
director Genzoh Tokehisa conducts everything
with a sure, deliberate hand, occasionally
tipping into reigning things in a little too
tightly - but again, there's the sense that
he's controlling a piece of music which could
at any moment leap out of his
grasp. With such small chamber
forces to work with, the more powerful moments
are muted, as on a somewhat subdued
"Hallelujah", but when everyone does let go -
it's stunning.
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