The Complete Handel's Messiah

G.F. Handel (Composer), Stephen Alltop (Conductor), The Apollo Chorus of Chicago (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: The Apollo Chorus of Chicago
• Conductor: Stephen Alltop
• Composer: G.F. Handel
• Audio CD (October 17, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Clarion
• ASIN: B000J4OY6S
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #268,897 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Sinfonia

2. Accompagnato

3. Aria

4. Coro

5. Accompagnato

6. Aria

7. Coro

8. Recitativo

9. Aria/Coro

10. Accompagnato

See all 23 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Coro

2. Coro3: Coro

3. Accompagnato

4. Coro

5. Accompagnato

6. Arioso

7. Accompagnato

8. Arioso

9. Coro

10. Recitativo

See all 29 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

When the Apollo Chorus of Chicago sings, great choral works come alive. Founded in 1872 after the Great Chicago Fire, this powerful 150-voice chorus is one of the city's most exciting and talked-about musical organizations. Each season Apollo thrills audiences with beautiful music old and new, winning praise for its performances - especially for Handel's Messiah.

Here's what the Chicago Tribune had to say about an Apollo Messiah concert: "[Dr. Alltop] has his troops fully committed to his historically informed methods. Tempos are almost uniformly auicker than the morn 30 years ago. Uninterrupted legato and dirge-like tempos have been superseded by a view that this musical era deserves its own set of performance criteria."

The Apollo Chorus began its annual perfornaces of Messiah in 1879, soon after the group was founded. In 2000, under the direction of Music Director and Conductor Stephen Alltop, Apollo began perforning the complete version of this magnificent work. As Dr. Alltop says, "While our history is long and rich, it is the commitment to constantly elevating artistic standards in the great music we perform which energizes our work together. We strive to bring out new discoveries and feelings in each performance.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful Music, November 28, 2006

By 

Nicole "Nicole" (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Handel's Messiah (Audio CD)

The singers' voices are clear, accurate, and melodic and the orchestra is top notch too. This is one of the best recordings of Messiah I've found.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars worth a listen, November 28, 2006

By 

Arthur Moswin (chicago, il USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Complete Handel's Messiah (Audio CD)

yes, there are (too)many recordings of this, from small period groups to the huge Malcom Sargent recordings. This is a thoughtfully performed complete version with baroque orchestra (modern instruments) and a large chorus, but with a vocal clarity not usually found in groups of this size. Yearly performances (since the 1800s) of this work by this chorus are a Chicago institution.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ehh...nothing new, unique or special, September 7, 2010

By 

All Red "Red" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Handel's Messiah (Audio CD)

As many recordings as there are of "Messiah", this newest recording brings nothing new to the table. If you want incredibly American sounding choruses, this one is for you. The entire performance was on one level... relatively uninspiring... not great, not bad... just ehh!