Customer Reviews

Handel: Messiah

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

With ravishing bell-like tones, you can almost see a halo on top of Joan Sutheland's head. What passion, what a gorgeous sound she makes! Just sends chills up and down one's spine. The recording is wonderful, the choir brilliant, and the supporting cast is excellent. But Sutherland is the vocal miracle!

As a cellist with 13 years of experience and a professional musicologist, I am disappointed at the mixed reviews this recording has received. I have heard many different recordings of this piece (and played it many times), and I must say that this one is one of the best I have heard. An especially good feature of this recording is the orchestral playing. The orchestra is very sensitive in their accompaniment of the soloists. Also, the ornamentation in the vocal parts (Every Valley, Rejoice Greatly) does not seem to me to be excessive, and falls well within the norm of what would be expected in a typical Baroque performance. Don't be discouraged from buying this one!

Just the singing of "How beautiful are the feet" by Dame Joan is worth the price of this cd. It is the most beautifully sung aria, or song I've ever heard. The voice sounds innocently sweet, clear as a bell and silvery. She adds perfect trills.
I've listen to this piece close to a hundred times and adore it. The rest of the arias by Sutherland are also spectacular. The recorded sounds is church like, and Christmas like. And the conducting and orchestra and chorus are wonderful.

With so many recordings of Handel's MESSIAH available, it's hard to choose the perfect set. There are full price, sets, mid-price sets, and budget recordings, and many do justice to this great work. Many people have found that some of the lesser known names on smaller labels do more than an adequate job and bring the majestic music of this work to life in a way that some of the bigger names and orchestras do not do, and while this may be true, this set, with some of operas' favorite recording artists has some merits.

It should not be all that much of a surprise to anyone familiar with Bonynge that this set would be memorable. Bonynge has worked not only with the Ambroasian Singers, but each of the soloists as well. Soprano Joan Sutherland is Bonynge's wife and she without a doubt the strongest of the four soloists. She handles her role with ease (I know, bad pun but it's unintentional), using the skills she has as a Bel Canto specialist to maneuver Handel's trills and flourishes. Two soloists who truly get a vocal workout are Hugette Tourangeau who sings the contralto role and bass Tom Krause. Though listeners may love the vocal fireworks Handel includes in the score, it is rather difficult terrain for the lower voices, but Tourangeau and Krause do a spectacular job. Many listeners may also realize that other basses have simplified their parts whereas Krause accepts the vocal challenges and he does more than accept, he achieves success. Werner Krenn's light tenor is suited for his parts and he too does a wonderful job. The orchestra and chorus are both top notch and at times I juts put the discs in the CD player, put on the headphones, and listen to some of eth great choral masterpieces of this work and am amazed at the beautiful music this work contains performed beautifully on this set.

One thing that should be noted: This set may not be for everyone. Bonynge and the performers are from the world of opera, and while opera is choral music, it does not guarantee success in oratorios such as MESSIAH. Bonynge's expertise from the world of opera and the symphonic repertoire is evident from the small details he seems to emphasize in his interpretation, which makes the set different, but for some MESSIAH lovers, different is not a good thing. The same can be said for the soloists. While they do work together and there is not a competitive feeling to the set, they do at times sound as if they are on the operatic stage, particularly Sutherland and Tourangeau. For some, this is not in the spirit of a work like MESSIAH. For me, this is not something undesirable. I love the work of the performers involved and enjoy this set, but while it's not a radically different approach, it is a bit different from the standard recording of this work.

This performance is first rate. The approach is a little different but for the most part, works extremely well. Very satisfying. The other favorable reviewers got it right. And, I'll let their explanations stand with no need of further embellishment from me. With all performance art, there is room for all kinds of different interpretations, and which ever style one prefers is all very subjective. But, this is a valid approach which taken on its own terms, is highly successful and most beautiful.

Interesting, if for no other reason than to hear Handel performed as through he were writing in the era of Bellini and Donizetti. Sutherland was better in the earlier Boult version. The accents of the mezzo and tenor can be a little distracting. The soloists' ornamentation is interesting on a first hearing, but can be a little offputting with continued exposure. As an example, listen to Tourangeau's singing of "Thou art gone up on high". Almost every note is filigreed. It reminds me of Callas' caution to a participant in the Julliard master classes: you'd have more impact with expression than all that hullaballoo.

WHEN THOSE PEOPLE WHO TRY TO BASH SUTHERLAND COULD SING JUST ONE NOTE THE WAY LA STUPENDA DID, THEY WILL BE ABLE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT HER. THERE IS NO VOICE MORE BEALTIFUL THAN SUTHERLAND'S VOICE. I RECOMEND THIS CD.

You guys are awful! Sutherland is AMAZING! You know nothing about voice. You need your head cheaked if you do not like this. If you do not like this, dont bother posting a review. If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all! :P

So, what'cha doin' there, Richy boy? Recording Messiah, are you? Hmmm...thought a few ornamentations here and there would spice things up, a little? Thought some coloratura during the "A" sections would be the way to go, there? Huh? Excessive trilling in the bassoon and double basses? Crashing scales in the harpsichord, huh? Dramatic cadences in the secco recitatives, added for a little color there? Huh? French alto with no expression? German tenor who's so confused about all the ornamentations you've given him that he can't find the right notes to sing? Trying to "jump on" to the whole "stylistic performance" bandwagon waaaaay back in 1969?

(said ala Stewie Griffin)

Unless you are a Werner Krenn fan and absolutely can't live without everything he has ever recorded, as I do, don't bother with this turkey of a recording. Whenever I listen to it, and that isn't very often, I have trouble trying to figure out just what piece of music Bonynge is conducting. I'm a big Messiah fan and an absolute Krenn freak but I must admit I have a lot of trouble listening to this one. Whew! What a turkey! I guess they put it out thinking that anything with Sutherland's name on it would sell. Even she stinks.