Handel - Messiah / Kirkby · Van Evera · Cable · Bowman · Cornwell · D. Thomas

1. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56
Composed by George Frideric Handel
with David Evan Thomas , James Bowman , Margaret Cable , Joseph Cornwell , Emma Kirkby , Taverner Consort Choir & Players , Emily Van Evera

Product Description

Amazon.com
It's no dishonor for Andrew Parrott that his respectable Messiah isn't at the very top of a crowded field. His Taverner Choir and Players give a brisk, clean performance, lacking perhaps a spark of excitement. The soloists are variable: contralto Margaret Cable and bass David Thomas sing intelligently but sound dry; countertenor James Bowman's timbre and range don't really suit the arias for castrato he's been given to sing; Emily Van Evera sings her one aria nicely but has little else to do. Emma Kirkby and Joseph Cornwell, however, sing as well as any soprano and tenor ever to record Messiah--Kirkby's imaginative embellishments are a particular pleasure. Handel collectors should be interested in this recording, especially for Kirkby and Cornwell; newcomers to Messiah should investigate Hogwood, Christie, McCreesh, or Suzuki. --Matthew Westphal

Tracks:

Messiah: Part The First: Sinfony - Grave - Allegro moderato
Messiah: Part The First: Accompagnato - Comfort ye my people (tenor)
Messiah: Part The First: Air - Ev'ry valley shall be exalted (tenor)
Messiah: Part The First: Chorus - And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed
Messiah: Part The First: Accompagnato - Thus saith the Lord of Hosts (bass)
Messiah: Part The First: Air - But who may abide the day of His coming (countertenor)
Messiah: Part The First: Chorus - And he shall purify
Messiah: Part The First: Recitative - Behold, a virgin shall conceive (alto)
Messiah: Part The First: Air (alto) and Chorus - O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion
Messiah: Part The First: Accompagnato - For behold, darkness shall cover the earth (bass)
Messiah: Part The First: Air - The people that walked in darkness (bass)
Messiah: Part The First: Chorus - For unto us a child is born
Messiah: Part The First: Pifa - Larghetto e mezzo piano
Messiah: Part The First: Recitative & Accompagnato - There were shepherds (soprano ll) / Recitative - And the angel said unto them (soprano ll) / Accompagnato - And suddenly there was with the angel (soprano ll)
Messiah: Part The First: Chorus - Glory to God in the highest
Messiah: Part The First: Air - Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion (soprano l)
Messiah: Part The First: Recitative - Then shall the eyes of the blind be open'd (countertenor)
Messiah: Part The First: Air - He shall feed His flock like a shepherd (countertenor; soprano l)
Messiah: Part The First: Chorus - His yoke is easy, his burthen is light
Messiah: Part The Second: Chorus - Behold, the Lamb of God
Messiah: Part The Second: Air - He was despised (alto)
Messiah: Part The Second: Chorus - Surely, He hath borne our griefs
Messiah: Part The Second: Chorus - And with His stripes we are healed
Messiah: Part The Second: Chorus - All we like sheep have gone astray

Tracks:

Messiah: Part The Second: Accompagnato - All they that see Him, laugh Hime to scorn (tenor)
Messiah: Part The Second: Chorus - He trusted in God
Messiah: Part The Second: Accompagnato - Thy rebuke hath broken His heart (tenor)
Messiah: Part The Second: Arioso - Behold, and see if there be any sorrow (tenor)
Messiah: Part The Second: Accompagnato - He was cut off out of the land of the living (soprano ll)
Messiah: Part The Second: Air - But Thou didst not leave His soul in hell (soprano ll)
Messiah: Part The Second: Chorus - Lift up your heads, O ye gates
Messiah: Part The Second: Recitative - Unto which of the angels (tenor)
Messiah: Part The Second: Chorus - Let all the angles of God worship Him
Messiah: Part The Second: Air - Thou art gone up on high (countertenor)
Messiah: Part The Second: Chorus - The Lord gave the word
Messiah: Part The Second: Air - How beautiful are the feet (soprano l)
Messiah: Part The Second: Chorus - Their sound is gone out into all lands
Messiah: Part The Second: Air - Why do the nations so furiously rage together (bass)
Messiah: Part The Second: Chorus - Let us break their bonds asunder
Messiah: Part The Second: Recitative - He that dwelleth in heaven (tenor)
Messiah: Part The Second: Air - Thou shalt break them (tenor)
Messiah: Part The Second: Chorus - Hallelujah!
Messiah: Part The Third: Air - I know that my redeemer liveth (soprano l)
Messiah: Part The Third: Chorus - Since by man came death
Messiah: Part The Third: Accompagnato - Behold, I tell you a mystery (bass)
Messiah: Part The Third: Air - The trumpet shall sound (bass)
Messiah: Part The Third: Recitative - Then shall be brought to pass the saying (countertenor)
Messiah: Part The Third: Duet - O death, where is thy sting (countertenor; tenor)
Messiah: Part The Third: Chorus - But thanks be to God
Messiah: Part The Third: Air - If God be for us (alto)
Messiah: Part The Third: Chorus - Worthy is the Lamb that was slain... Amen.

Amazon.com

It's no dishonor for Andrew Parrott that his respectable Messiah isn't at the very top of a crowded field. His Taverner Choir and Players give a brisk, clean performance, lacking perhaps a spark of excitement. The soloists are variable: contralto Margaret Cable and bass David Thomas sing intelligently but sound dry; countertenor James Bowman's timbre and range don't really suit the arias for castrato he's been given to sing; Emily Van Evera sings her one aria nicely but has little else to do. Emma Kirkby and Joseph Cornwell, however, sing as well as any soprano and tenor ever to record Messiah--Kirkby's imaginative embellishments are a particular pleasure. Handel collectors should be interested in this recording, especially for Kirkby and Cornwell; newcomers to Messiah should investigate Hogwood, Christie, McCreesh, or Suzuki. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews:

Errors in this recording.......2006-09-17

There are apparently two errors on this album: on disc two, track one (All they that see Him, laugh Him to scorn) near 0:02 and 0:04. I verified this using two brand-new (and not scratched) copies with CDex in "paranoia" mode. They are audible as 'skips' in the sound with every CD player I've tried. I have been trying in vein to contact EMI/Virgin about the problem. If you can live with it, this is otherwise a very good Messiah. If you believe you have an error-free copy, please contact me at clumma at yahoo dot com.

An intimate, introspective view of "Messiah".......2004-08-12

If you are looking for a loud, powerful, exciting performance of Handel's "Messiah," look elsewhere. This is scaled to the kind of performances that took place in the small churches of Handel's time, and as such it has a more intimate feel, less "pressured" climaxes and a more cohesive flow than one usually hears in "Messiah" performances. Twenty years ago, I probably would not have liked this kind of performance, but since turning to Buddhism and hearing the "small, still voice within," I find that this kind of performance resonates perfectly with my view of the creator. You, however, are free to feel differently, but if you think you would like a performance of unparalleled transparency, lightness and airiness, this is the one for you. All of the soloists are really into this atmosphere, and Andrew Parrott conducts beautifully with a real sense of legato style. If not, there is always the Trevor Pinnock, Gardiner or Mormon Abersnackle Choir versions with their multitudes of voices and 21-gun salutes! ;-)

Simply the best.......2004-02-10

Of more than a dozen Messiah recordings I've accumulated, this one remains hands-down THE BEST. The smaller choir delivers huge, clear sound without the muddiness or weight so common in performances by larger groups (e.g. MTC). The soloists are uniformly the *least* pretentious I've heard sing this piece - they allow Handel's simple embellishments to come through purely without distracting us with their own. "Clean" is the best descriptor that I can think of for this recording, and it's fitting given the work's simple, innocent subject.

A wonderfully clear and powerful performance - joyful!.......2002-08-17

In December of 1980 I was part of a performance of Messiah for Handel conference here in Ann Arbor. Scholars came from all over the world to present papers on this work and we performed the piece with a very small chamber orchestra, soloists, and a chorus of about 24 singers. It caused quite a stir, but it was very fun to do.

There is scholarly precendent for such small forces. And in fact the massed armies style in vogue in the 1960s and even today was a 19th century cultural phenomenon. But we all know how much fun such a large ensemble can also be. The really neat thing is that this chorus does not sound small. What it sounds is clear and supple. You can hear the counterpoint and that is the point of this kind of music, isn't it?

Large groups can never have the clarity and fluidity of line that can be achieved with what amounts to a chamber ensemble. It bothers some (but not me) that the voices used even for the soloists aren't operatic in the style of the last two centuries. Well, Handel was an EARLY 18th century composer and the operatic voice was quite different then. Still strong, still flexible, but filling a hall that seated 5,000 wasn't necessary and didn't exist.

Anyway, scholarship or no, this is a wonderful performance based on what is known about a performance of this work in 1753. It is full of life and the soloists are terrific. I especially love Emma Kirkby for all kinds of reasons, one of them being she was the soprano soloist for the 1980 performance here in Ann Arbor. The style here is quite declamatory and more operatic than, say, the Hogwood recording from 1980 (although certainly not Verdi). There also seems to be an emphasis on using English vowels rather than Italianate singing vowels. You should also note that both the soprano, Emma Kirkby, and the bass, David Thomas, on this recording were also on the very different Hogwood 1980 recording.

The choruses are very clear if not as sharply defined or as pointilistic as other early music recordings. For example, the last chorus "Worthy is the Lamb" and the great fuguge "Amen" are full of power, drama, and majesty, however, the some of the effects of the entrances from the different sections that happen right on top of each other don't quite pop out here as they might have. But this is a small point. No single version of this work can include every possible interpretation. The work is too rich and the artists must make choices.

It is also interesting to note the selection of the soloists. Here we have two sopranos (with Kirkby taking different numbers than on Hogwood)and alto AND a counter tenor as well as a tenor and bass. Handel himself often switched around the numbers given to the soloists, and this recording is no different. For example, the solo before the last chorus "If God be for us" (here, "If God is for us") is sung by the alto Margaret Cable (whom I think is really a mezzo-soprano) and is often done by the soprano. And the usual alto, tenor "O Death, Where is They Sting" is here done superbly by the counter-tenor James Bowman and the Tenor Joseph Cornwell.

You should have this in your collection for its beauty and for its contrast to the "traditional" large ensemble performances. I hugely enjoy this version.

Well done.......2002-05-16

While I prefer small-scale modern-instrument performances, this is probably the best of the allegedly-historical instrument recordings. Parrott's conducting is quite good, the chorus and orch do well. Soprano Emma Kirkby is distinctive and particularly fine, although not quite up to the level of Lynne Dawson with Christophers.

This one belongs in everyone's Messiah collection.

Music Review: