Handel: Messiah / M. Marshall · Quirke · Robbin · Brett · Rolfe Johnson · Hale · The Monteverdi Choir · The English Baroque Soloists · Gardiner

Margaret Marshall (Artist), Anthony Rolfe Johnson (Artist), Saul Quirke (Artist), Catherine Robbin (Artist), Charles Brett (Artist), Robert Hale (Artist), George Frideric Handel (Composer), John Eliot Gardiner (Conductor), The English Baroque Soloists (Orchestra), The Monteverdi Choir (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: The Monteverdi Choir
• Orchestra: The English Baroque Soloists
• Conductor: John Eliot Gardiner
• Composer: George Frideric Handel
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 3
• Label: Polygram Records / Philips
• ASIN: B0000040VU
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #205,847 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. No. 1. Sinfonia

2. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. No. 2. Accompagnato. Comfort ye, my people / No. 3. Aria. Ev'ry valley shall be exalted

3. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. No. 4. Coro. And the glory of the Lord

4. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. No. 5. Accompagnato. Thus saith the Lord / No. 6. Aria. But who may abide / No. 7. Coro. An

5. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. No. 7a. Recitativo. Behold a virgin shall conceive / No. 8. Aria. O thou that tellest good

6. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. No. 9. Accompagnato. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth / No. 10. Aria. The people

See all 12 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 19. Coro. Behold the Lamb of God

2. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 20. Aria. He was despised

3. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 21. Coro. Surely, He hath borne our griefs / No. 22. Coro. And with His stripes / No. 2

4. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 24. Accompagnato. All they that see Him / No. 25. Coro. He trusted in God

5. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 26. Accompagnato. Thy rebuke hath broken His heart / No. 27. Arioso. Behold, and see

6. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. No. 28. Accompagnato. He was cut off / No. 29. Aria. But Thou didst not leave

See all 25 tracks on this disc

Disc: 3

1. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3. No. 40. Aria. I know that my Redeemer liveth

2. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3. No. 41. Coro. Since by man came death

3. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3. No. 43. Aria. The trumpet shall sound

4. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3. No. 44a. Recitativo. Then shall be brought to pass / No. 44b. Duetto. O death, where is thy

5. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3. No. 46. Aria. If God be for us

6. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3. No. 47. Coro. Worthy is the Lamb... Amen.

See all 12 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE Messiah, May 18, 2000

By 

David Wihowski (Milwaukee, WI USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Handel: Messiah / M. Marshall · Quirke · Robbin · Brett · Rolfe Johnson · Hale · The Monteverdi Choir · The English Baroque Soloists · Gardiner (Audio CD)

I have been in love with Messiah since I was 12 years old. My first (and second) recordings were made by an orchestra of 100+ and a chorus of 200+. The tempos were sluggish, the counterpoint was mud, but the glory of Handel's genius still grabbed me.

When I finally heard the Gardiner recording I wept from the clarity, power and spirituality that grabbed my heart anew. This is now my definitive Messiah recording. The reviewer who thought Gardiner was eccentric, possibly is in love with his older, slower, bigger, grander Messiahs. I cannot say those recordings are terrible for they taught me to love Handel. I just believe that Gardiner really got it right (the way Handel wanted it). I personally find Hogwood tedious and wooden.

Period performance usually does take some time to get accustomed to. Don't start with the Messiah as your first period performance recording. Begin with some other Handel oratorios (Judas Maccabeas, Occaisional Oratorio), Bach cantatas, or baroque operas to get used to the sound and the style. Then go back to Messiah once you ear is used to the period style/sound.

I recommend the Gardiner version above all other period performances, though there are other great ones. Gardiner's phrasing, shading, dynamics, balance and tempos hit the mark for me. Gardiner's Messiah lives every time I listen to it.

(P.S. The "eccentric" reviewer's comment about boy sopranos is not likely true, Handel did use female (choral) sopranos, at least with some frequency; and his soprano soloists were probably always women.)

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clarity of line and transparency of sound with a likving purpose to every note, July 5, 2002

By 

Craig Matteson (Saline, MI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Handel: Messiah / M. Marshall · Quirke · Robbin · Brett · Rolfe Johnson · Hale · The Monteverdi Choir · The English Baroque Soloists · Gardiner (Audio CD)

This recording of this wonderful work has many virtues. It is a small ensemble with skilled singers and a very gifted conductor. Remember this is contrapuntal music with many simultaneous lines - not just a melody with harmony.

Gardiner lets us hear everything and it is wonderful. He also makes everything we here a choice. It is all on purpose. That doesn't mean deliberate or frozen. Heavens no! This piece is alive and every note is going somewhere for a reason. There are surprising interpretations as well. Sharp stacattos, dramatic pauses, strong contrasts. If we take just "Worthy is the Lamb" and the final "Amen" fugue as a case, we note that he comes in strong on the first statement of "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain!". But on the second repeat, it is more of a marvellous contemplation. And the Amen begins very soft as if the chorus is part of the beatific vision and builds. After the first orchestral interlude the chorus comes in strong, but the tempo never picks up. It is rather slow throughout. That allows for a more massive feeling as things seem to mount to the infinite. It may not be my personal preference, but I certainly admire and respect Gardiner for showing me another approach and convincing me of its power and worth.

While this version lets the music carry the drama rather than letting the singers emote as if this were a romantic era opera, there is plenty of emotion and range in this recording. The ornamentation is tastefully done and does add to the expessivenes of the work. "The Trumpet Shall Sound" sounds terrific. Sometimes the natural trumpet can be played out of tune, but Crispian Steele-Perkins nails it. The "Hallelujia Chorus" is actually sung rather than roared and that is nice change. Don't get me wrong, there is plenty of energy and power, but it is full volume all the way through. And every word can be understood.

Just imagine if we had heard it this clearly from our childhood and we could have avoided all those misunderstanding of what was being sung!

This is a recording I am very happy to own and it is music making I am grateful to be able to hear again and again. This is wonderful stuff!

16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Messiah "Burn-Out" Sufferers - This is the cure, November 26, 2004

By 

Randolph R. Wagner (Houston, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Handel: Messiah / M. Marshall · Quirke · Robbin · Brett · Rolfe Johnson · Hale · The Monteverdi Choir · The English Baroque Soloists · Gardiner (Audio CD)

Having sung and played this piece since my elementary school years, I was on the verge of a major case of "Messiah burn-out". There are only so many mediocre and frankly horrible performances of this work one can stand before this insidious malady wrecks one's enjoyment of this over-exposed work of genius.

When I first heard Gardiner's recording in the late 80's, I was instantly cured and have weathered many more lousy performances since with no waning of my enthusiasm for this work (I can't say the same for Orff's Carmina Burana and Beethoven's 9th). I even shelled out the extra dollars for the unneccesary three CDs (it's nice to know it can now be purchased on a two CD version).

Quite frankly, the choral singing cannot be bettered. The excitement that Gardiner's forces convey with their clean, crisp and often breath-taking performance make this recording a first choice.

Since this recording was released, there have been a number of outstanding period performances that have been added to the catalog. They have much to offer too. I, for one, will always revert to this version, though, in homage to its role in restoring my enthusiasm for the piece.