Customer Reviews

Handel: Messiah

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Originally recorded in the 1960s using modern instruments, a good-sized chorus and standard A-440 concert pitch, this is not a Messiah for fanatics of historically informed performances. On the other hand, Sir Colin Davis strikes an intelligent compromise between conventional forces and an awareness of Baroque performance practice that holds up remarkably well after three-plus decades. Textures and articulations are light, tempi are quick (sometimes too quick for soloists' maximum comfort) and ornamentation is not only permitted but encouraged. Moreover, this is a note-complete Messiah, except for an odd cut in the Da Capo of "He was despised," that chooses among the differing versions of various numbers with good results. Orchestra and choir execute the familiar music with superb precision and diction. The soloists, all English, give committed, idiomatic performances of their numbers, though as mentioned above, they occasionally seem taxed in their florid music.

One ought to have another recording of Messiah on period instruments, perhaps one that uses alternate versions of some of the familiar numbers, for a truly complete picture of this masterpiece. But for a standard recording of this work Davis' reading (his first) remains one of the top choices.

This is a spectacular recording, as many have indicated. But, what few know is that Philips in 2001 remastered the sound as part of their "Philips 50" celebration.

The remastering reperesents a significant improvement in sound over this Duo series issue. The master used for the Duo series issue here reviewed was actually made in the early 1980s when CDs first appeared, adn is quite inferior bypresent standards.

While Philips chose not to issue the remastered Philips 50 release in the USA, it is available form Amazon.com as asin # B000051YDC.

But get it while you can. Even European countries are reporting issues in the Philips 50 series as discontinued, so I suspect that there is only a limited number of copies of each issue with no intenetion of making additional copies when they sell out.

If you want a happy medium in performances of Handel's great oratorio,which eschews the earlier overblown pomp and excesses of the past,and quite nicely bridges the yawning gulf to the period authenticity of recent times,then this is the recording for you.

I've always retained a lasting affection for this reading ever since those halcyon days of my first exploring classical music.I came to "Messiah" through the good auspices of John Eliot Gardiner and co;and if he is a bit willfully idiosyncratic and mannered in his approach to this wonderful masterpiece,it is still one of my favourite interpretations.Not least for Margaret Marshall's serenely stunning,"I know that my Redeemer liveth".Has this been bettered on record ? I somehow doubt it.Although,I am very fond of the performance given by Lorraine Hunt under Nicholas McGegan on Harmonia Mundi.There is a soprano who really does KNOW that her Redeemer is alive and well,and I for one wouldn't dare to argue with her !

Anyway,back to Sir Colin et al.I think the most distinctive elements which contribute to the ultimate success of this robust and vibrant version are the perfectly judged orchestral dynamics and the outstanding work of the London Symphony Choir,who absolutely dominate proceedings;and my hat is off to their director John Aldiss.They make an immediate impact from the first in,"And the glory of the Lord".Then they round off superbly ,"O thou that tellest good tidings...",and go on to do sterling work throughout,concluding with a magisterial account of "Worthy is the Lamb" and the final "Amen" chorus.And,surely,surely the stunning "Hallelujah" chorus has got to be one of the finest ever committed to record ?

The soloists comprise those "usual suspects" and sixties stalwarts,Heather Harper,Helen Watts,John Wakefield and John Shirley-Quirk.The soprano Heather Harper is one of my favourite vocalists of this period,and for the most part she is her usual excellent self here.However,I find her,"I know..." just a tad too over-decorated for my liking,and it's just a shame that I can't give her my customary imaginary bouquet for her work on that particular aria.But still,she is quite excellent in,"Rejoice greatly,O daughter of Zion" and beyond criticism for her sensitively aware,"How beautiful are the feet"

The mezzo Helen Watts also meets with mixed success on this Cd,and some of you might find her voice just a little too dark and "old world" for comfort.Mind you her stern,almost Victorian authority does grow on you and her,"O thou that tellest.." is pretty good,but she has the advantage of our excellent choir rushing in like the proverbial U.S Cavalry a the end ! She also makes a fine partner for the tenor in the duet,"o death,where is thy sting ?" In the sublime aria,"He was despised" (the heart of Messiah in my opinion) she puts in some fine work,but I find it impossible to get the heartbreaking performance by Anne Sofie Von Otter under Trevor Pinnock out of my head at this point in proceedings.There is a vocal miracle that will have you reaching for a box of tissues and a strong,stiff drink by the end.

The tenor John Wakefield gets proceedings off to a most distinguished start with his beautiful readings of "Comfort ye..." and "Ev,ry valley..",but he saves his most masterful work for Part 2,when he really gets every ounce of tearful emotion out of,"Thy rebuke has broken his heart","Behold and see",He was cut off" and the brilliant,"But thou didst not leave..".Marvellous,tender,evocative portrayals all,and perhaps my favourite section of this recording as a whole.

The bass John Shirley-Quirk comes up with the requisite goods as he virtually always does in his career.Yet,again I am labouring under the imposing shadow of John Tomlinson (Pinnock once more)who brings an almost Wagnerian sonority and deep,thunderous authority to his part.I'm quite sure that God will enlist his personal assistance to "shake the Heavens and the Earth" at the last judgement ! Even so,J.S-Q makes a fine fist of his part and his,"Thus saith the Lord" is most enjoyable,and he has the benefit of wonderful support from the orchestra and the Harpsichord as played by Leslie Pearson.In fact I should emphasise now just what a valuable contribution L.P makes to the whole shooting match.For a start his decoration and improvisation are quite outstanding,and thank goodness he is well-balanced within the sound-stage as a whole.He really buoys up and underlines the music in general,and further qualifies the general desireablity of this set.

If I could end this review with just a couple of minor moans i.e. the booklet doesn't provide us with complete texts,which is not a real drawback where Messiah is concerned,but it would be nice to know at least the biblical source of the arias.I'm sure that beginners would be interested to know that say ,"I know that my Redeemer liveth" is drawn from the book of Job and Corinthians--don't you think ? Also there are a couple of errors as to who's singing what and where.For a start,it is quite definitely John Wakefield who sings,"But thou didst not leave",and not the soprano as marked.I know that Heather Harper is supremely talented,but I didn't realise she was a brilliant mimic as well ! Also the book has "Zion" down as singing "Rejoice greatly".It would have been a neat trick if they could have managed it,but I don't think my poor speakers could have stood the strain ! However,the book does come up trumps in the excellent and enlightning notes by Bernard Jacobson.I love his re-telling of the anecdote when Handel was congratulated on the entertaining effect that one of his performances of Messiah had upon the audience,and replied,"I should be sorry if I only entertained them -- I wish to make them better".Well,I for one have been entertained thoroughly by this 1966 recording,and Handel need have no fear of the latter effect that he wished his masterpiece to engender upon us.It is as the Americans so concisely and effectively say, "A GIVEN".

Approaches to this masterpiece have been disparate and many, so one can't really talk about "setting the standard." But almost 40 years after it appeared, this Messiah still gets me closer than any other to Handel's music. Forget for a moment about whether the instruments are original enough for the museum curator, and about whether the performance is authentic enough for Professor So-and-so, and about whether listeners a quarter of a millennium ago would have been disconcerted by the meager vocal ornamentation. Now just listen to the music and ask whether any other performance brings the Holy Scriptures so close to you. See what I mean? I have listened to this truly inspired performance several times a year since Philips released it (on abominable LP pressings in the U.S.), and it sounds fresh and new every time.

Not that there aren't other fine, enjoyable performances. Get the Pinnock and the Hogwood to glean a few insights from "authentic" performances. Get the Beecham for a rollicking good time. Others at random: Davis's later recording is nowhere near as good. Bonynge's from the early 1970s is horrible. Mackerras severely over-ornaments. You'll start to wonder when the singer will finally resolve the line.

This Messiah goes into my Hall of Fame with Moravec's Chopin, Beecham's Delius, Winschermann's Bach cantatas, and Furtwangler's Beethoven. A desert island recording. Immortal.

When this recording first came out, it competed with two others as "original" scoring, including one by Robert Shaw. This one comes out on top, without counter-tenor as in one other recording, or the difficult-to-listen-to "original instrument" recordings of today. The performance never drags, remains exciting even after 36 years.

The harpsichord playing of Mr. Downes is incredible, especially in the bass aria, "Thus Saith the Lord." The chorus is well-prepared and is always clear--excellent pronunciation.

There is little else to say except that, if you have to buy but one recording of Messiah, this is the one.

Although I generally like performances of works to be historically accurate with period instruments and choirs reflecting the vocal teachings of the time, this is an exception.
I bought this recording because I know the reputation of the London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus as well as the Philips label. I was not disappointed by either.
Sir Colin Davis is expressive yet vigorous in his conducting, breathing new life into the entire oratorio, especially well known choruses like "For Unto us a Child is Born" and "Hallelujah!". Some might think it a little fast, but I like the fresh approach to this well used and often abused music. The orchestra plays with true gusto, never overpowering the choir, but never letting the light, bouncing quality of their Baroque style slip away. The result is happy, bubbling, almost pompous music that creates another world acoustically.
The London Symphony Chorus is unsurpassed in their ability to use a variety of vocal colors while using forceful dynamics and sounding epic at the same time. They never get out of sync with one another, very impressive especially on the long ornamental runs in "For Unto us a Child is Born". Their fortes are ground shaking and their pianos are ethereal.
The soloists, though I have never heard of any of them, are excellent as well. They all have bright, wholesome timbres and are capable of incredible breath support, often singing 10 or 11 second phrases of ornamentation without stopping for air or losing any power.
All of this incredible talent comes thorugh with crystal clarity on Philips' CD. There is no crackle or hiss and never once does the music get too intense and cause bursts of static. Every instrument can be heard individually and one feels as though the work is being performed at a live venue.
This is by far one of the best CDs I've bought, robust and assertive, expressive, and technically perfect in every aspect of the music.

I purchased this recording after reading in the Penguin Guide To Classical CDs that is among the finest available of Handel's Messiah. I strongly concur with that recommendation. The sound quality is absolutely superb, thanks to Philips' latest digital remastering. Yet what is truly amazing is Davis' ability to produce an exceptional performance from the London Symphony Orchestra and soloists. He opts for brisk tempi, seeking more of a chamber orchestra sound than that from a full-fledged orchestra. The result is a performance that is not only fleet, but rich in light orchestral textures. This may not be the Messiah prefered by stanch traditionalists nor devotees of period instruments, yet it is a splendid interpretation. It's also an irresistible buy at this price.

I own 29 complete Messiahs and this is one of my favorites. The high points of this recording are soprano Heather Harper's slow arias, particularly "How Beautiful are the Feet", which is world-best for this aria. "Redeemer" is also exceptionally fine. In both, she ornaments heavily and tastefully, and her trills are meltingly musical.

Davis' choral and orchestral work is consistent and very good throughout.

I can do without the rest of this recording. IMO, best overall recording is Westenberg. If you get Davis (soprano) Westenberg (chorus, tenor, bass, soprano), Mackerras original(bass, alto) Shaw 1966 chorus disk, and the first Marriner (tenor, trumpet, soprano) you'll have the best-of-the-best pretty well covered for modern instruments.

This was the recording of Handel's Messiah that my mother owned, then a hefty box of four LPs. I used to get comments from the neighbors asking if I was the 'Messiah freak' in the household. This recording was a crucial part of my early musical life, and as I listen to it as an adult, I still keep finding new elements to love about it. Sir Colin's reading is that of an esteemed opera conductor, and he conducts Handel not as a stuffy museum piece but as a living, exciting work composed by a man who was in his day best known for his operas. The soloists are all absolutely first rate - John Shirley-Quirk's singing of 'For Behold Darkness Shall Cover the Earth', particularly that crescendo on 'But the Lord shall arise upon thee' is worth the cost of the recording. All four soloists sing with both purity and drama, a rare combination. The chorus brings exceptional nuance to its work, yet their precision and blend are breathtaking. The orchestra's playing moves me to tears. What more can I say? In my humble opinion, this is the definitive recording of this work.

The Philips Classics series has many appealing features, not least of which is good value. This series typically offers two CDs for the price of about one-and-a-half. They feature top-rank and often legendary performers. Finally, they are digitally remastered recordings from the sixties and seventies, many of which rank as standard-bearing readings of the classical canon.

This 1966 London Symphony Orchestra performance of Handel's incalculably beautiful MESSIAH is robust in the old-school, English, big-voiced, fully-orchestrated, modern-instrument manner. This is the MESSIAH that first put the lump in your throat and made you wonder at how regular folks stood when 'Hallelujah' came up.

I find it almost breathtaking to sit here - again - among the speakers and come to grips with the fact that the pure sound emerging is from a recording that took place *four decades* ago. Harper, Watts, Wakefield, and Shirley-Quirk are in marvelous voice.

Do yourself a favor. Break the Messiah-at-Christmas routine (though *do* listen at Christmas), buy this CD, and sit down with it for an evening at some atypical time of year, say, when an autumnal nip is in the air.

Handel's uniquely musical hearing of a Christian retelling of the biblical prophets and their adumbration in the New Testament that was conventional in its day is a work for the ages. Resonant, effortlessly intertextual, energized by both faith and art, MESSIAH is one of Christendom's jewels.

It is nearly a fool's errand to review Messiah in a few paragraphs, even more when the reading is question is that of Sir Colin Davis and a throaty English cast.

Simply impeccable.