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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Handel's Messiah for $6.99?, December 22, 2003
This review is from: Handel: Messiah (Audio CD)
Yup, $6.99. I purchased this 2-disk recording 'cause most of my CD-Audio collection was in storage, and I was feeling Xmas-music-deprived. I purchased it at Best Buy while shopping for gift DVDs. (Isn't that always how it goes?) This recording was released in 1999 by a Montreal-based company called Madacy Entertainment. According to the jacket, the performance was of "The Original Manuscript" (wouldn't Handel's original manuscript of Messiah be considered so valuable that no sticky-fingered string player would ever be permitted to touch it, let alone use it for a gig? Presumably, a pre-Mozart orchestration manuscript was meant...) by the London Philharmonic, conducted by Walter Susskind, with the Philharmonic Choir. There was no information about the soloists, which was the most irritating thing about the packaging; the second most irritating thing was the misspelling of "my Redeemer livith" (sic), though maybe on the original manuscript, that's how Handel spelled it. At any rate, the jewel case inserts contain the spelling that we currently use. The fine print on the CD jacket indicated that the recording was "issued under license from 101 Strings", which was a hint as to the marketing. 101 Strings was a concept under which recordings of European music by B-list orchestras were inexpensively released. There are a couple of Web sites that discuss 101 Strings in detail; not necessary to do it here. There was no information about this recording at the Madacy Web site, but the company's mission statement as articulated by the CEO was a bit insulting: The word "masses" (as in the "opium of the") was used at least twice, as if the "masses" don't really listen to music and therefore aren't entitled to good, reasonably-priced recordings. I decided to research this recording a little more. I've concluded that the Madacy CD is probably a digitized version of the 1958 analog recording sold as three vinyl LPs by Pye (catalog ID GGL0152) in England. Might have been monophonic originally, though this recording is in stereo. The recording was probably rereleased as Messiah highlights on the Mode label, but I'm not certain. Without a comprehensive catalog (shouldn't there be one in the public domain on the Web?), one can't know definitively. The soloists, as nearly as I can determine, were April Cantello (soprano), Helen Watts (alto), W. Brown (tenor), and Roger Stalman (bass). I was particularly interested in Mr. Stalman, but found little information about him, other than his being active into the 1970s as performer, teacher at the Birmingham Conservatoire, and founder of the Misbourne Orchestra, northwest of London. He performed Messiah frequently in the late 1950s. So, back to this recording of Messiah. If you don't own a Messiah recording yet, and you enjoy this important seasonal composition by Handel (though it was apparently written for Easter), spend a bit more money (say, in August, when nobody really cares about Messiah) for a five-star rendition. If you already have a Messiah recording, and are interested in another interpretation (Susskind's Hallelujah tempo is more leisurely than usually heard, Helen Watts is in excellent voice, and you don't hear the harpsichord continuo played very often these days; beware of a few slighty distorted passages), or you simply want a Messiah for the CD player while you're wrapping gifts or loading the dishwasher after Xmas dinner, you can't go wrong for $7. If you intend to buy this recording online, shop around. I had seen it offered for as much as $14. Happy holidays.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
sentimental favorite, December 30, 2006
This review is from: Handel: Messiah (Audio CD)
Like others, I recall this set's first appearance. It was my initial introduction to the complete Messiah growing up, and a pleasant revelation. It appeared off and on over the following decades. I know The Musical Heritage Society offered it prominently in the 70's and 80's.
Madacy, which has exhibited some spotty quality issuing old videos on DVD, has done a very good job digitalizing this 1958 recording.
April Cantelo, the first Mrs. Colin Davis, is wonderful in the soprano part, So is Helen Watts whom I gather almost owned the part in her heyday. Wilfred Brown, not a big name even then, does quite well with the tenor music as does Stalman with the bass solos, though he is perhaps the least suave of the quartet. (If I encountered a quartet of this quality at a public performance these days I'd be in heaven.)
George Malcolm's harpischord continuo is very prominent throughout, as I had recalled. I suspect he had a lot to do with the style of the over-all project. He was a pioneer in early music performance and moved the forces in this direction.
The chorus is well-drilled. Jackson recorded a similar performance of his own with many of the same forces a few years later, but I always felt this version had more personality.
When it first appeared, the style of presenting The Messiah was still big and slow and reverent (read Victorian). Susskind, the Czech expatriate conductor, was for many years a house conductor in London for EMI. Later he became music director of the St. Louis Symphony, and associated with, (I believe) the Aspen Festival and the Cincinnati Symphony. He was always a reliable conductor, but never associated with the growing movement toward authentic style in the performance of Baroque music which was just getting off the ground.
There are zippier versions, but I never find the music dragging. The speeds are plausible and lively. Susskind has in fact forged a compromise between more spritely scholarly Baroque style and the feeling associated with the British tradition of Messiah performances. I find myself returning to this version again and again and it does not disappoint.
I do wish I knew why it is missing a few movements. I gather they just were not recorded. Too bad, but at the time it was one of the few recording that came close to be complete, so we just had to be grateful.
If the Miller-Alshire people, stereo pioneeers who liked pronounced separation and who recorded it and first issued it, are sitting on these other movements in their vault, I wish they would release them posthaste.
(They also have some early stereo recordings of Sirs Adrian Boult and John Pritchard.)
Maybe Testament could be persuaded to take up the cause if this kind of miracle occurred.
We will ask Santa next year.
Still, with allowances for its age as an early stereo Messiah, it still has its charms and appeal--- like returning to see a beloved old friend!
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful version of Messiah, March 17, 2006
This review is from: Handel: Messiah (Audio CD)
This is the 1st version of Messiah I cam across, by accident, and I have really enjoyed it for the last several months ... the audio quality isn't top-notch, and after reading the previous reviews stating this is an original analog recording from the 50's I understand better why, but I still feel that this version of Messiah captures, for me, how it should sound ... both the orchestra, vocalists, and tempo are perfect in my opinion, and having now purchased other versions of the work w/ quicker tempo's, I continue to prefer this version ... theres just something about the British accents of the vocalists and the purity of the tone of their voices that makes this version very special to me ... if I could find a recording w/ similar tempo w/ better audio quality, I would be interested in that ... however, I don't think you could match the quality of the vocalists ... perhaps someone could digitally enhance or re-master this version ?? Either way, highly recommended!
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