Handel: Messiah (Highlights)

George Frederick Handel (Composer), Andrew Davis (Conductor), Florence Quivar (Performer), Toronto Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra), Kathleen Battle (Performer), John Aler (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Florence Quivar, Kathleen Battle, John Aler
• Orchestra: Toronto Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Andrew Davis
• Composer: George Frederick Handel
• Audio CD (August 13, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: EMI Classics
• ASIN: B00005NPJA
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #176,349 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazingly beautiful, December 26, 2005

By 

Heidi A. Plunkett "grusha cottage books n things" (Marietta, GA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Handel: Messiah (Highlights) (Audio CD)

This version has the highlights of The Messiah. All the ones you know. Enough that you will have the whole gospel story presented.
In beautiful baroque style with artfully added embellishments but defintly not overdone.
The soloist all pour every ounce of musical perfection to this recording.

I second what the previous reviewer said. Ms Battle brings heart and beauty as I have never heard to "I Know That my Redeemer liveth"

My onlynegative would be that the trumpets are sometimes too brilliant. But for heavens sake they are shouting the Glory of God can't really complain about that.

ENJOY

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent singing at a bargain price!, April 18, 2005

By 

moviemusicbuff (Walnut, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Handel: Messiah (Highlights) (Audio CD)

I was very pleased with the quality of the singing in this Messiah highlights. All the soloists are excellent, especially Kathleen Battle, in the arias "Rejoice Greatly" and "I Know My Redeemer Lives." Her singing alone is worth the price of this CD! The soloists frequently embellish on the notes in their singing, so if you like that, you'll love their re-endition. If you like it just plain and straight, you may not be used to that.

Both the Toronto Mendelssohn choir and the Toronto Symphony orchestra make for a full-bodied, majestic sound. Andrew Davis does a great job of conducting.

The selections are fairly generous (18 tracks); I wished they would have included the bass aria "Behold I Tell You a Mystery".

I have many versions of Handel's Messiah and I really enjoy this one, especially due to the high quality of musicianship and singing at such a bargain price. The complete version of this Messiah CD will cost you over $30. These highlights are just right. I've bought copies of this CD to friends and they all loved it. Highly recommended!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Messiah Highlights CD - Full of Joy of the Lord!, November 5, 2010

By 

B. Kelly (San Francisco, CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Handel : Messiah Highlights (MP3 Download)

I love this Highlights CD. There is also a full version on Amazon also. Most Messiah CD's I have heard sound mournful, doleful, with the singers pinning away for the song to be over - in what a call a dead, depressive, "baroque" style. This is not true of this CD. I LOVE this CD and the Director's leading of the chorus, soloists and symphony. Handel was a Christian man and wrote this magnificiant work to be a celebration of God, of His Word, and of His victory over the World in His Son, Jesus Christ. It is meant to be sung with life, joy, excitement, celebration, and triumph.

This director is bang-on correct in his interpretation and presentation. The singers are excellent! The lyric tenor's voice is so warm and flexible and he hits his vocal ornaments precisely and cleanly - no froggy, draggy, worbly vibrato. The Alto is excellent and rich! The Soprano cleanly hits her notes and you can feel the effortless and joy in her voice, her vowels are clear, and her words are cleanly understandable. The bass is excellent also - no creaky vibrato wide-enough to drive a mac truck through it like some basses.
They are all singing joyfully with rejoicing in their voices - spot on!

Davis presents Messiah from a joyful, worshipful and praisworthy persepctive like Handel obviously intended. Messiah is not supposed to be a spiritualy dead, mechanically performed, high-churchy, dead-liturgical, mournful, limp, impotent, piece. It is a masterpiece that should be sung the way it is masterfully done on this CD. Buy it or download it. You won't be sorry.