Customer Reviews

Handel: Messiah

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Of the many recordings of "Messiah" I've heard over the years, I find this is to be the finest. Sir Georg Solti leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a superbly polished and yet breathtakingly exciting performace. Solti had a reputation for insisting on slightly faster tempos in the works he conducted, and this true for this 1987 version of "Messiah." I found his up-tempo approach to add tremendous vitality, freshness, and immediacy to the performance. The soloists are outstanding, especially soprano Kiri te Kanawa and tenor Keith Lewis, and the Chicago Symphony Chorus, under the direction of Margaret Hillis, sings with almost overwhelming passion, power and clarity.

For those who love what may be inarguably the greatest oratorio ever composed, and prefer to hear it performed with modern instruments and a large chorus, I highly recommend this as the best recording I have yet found.

This is by far my favorite recording of the Messiah! I'll admit openly that I prefer a large choir and modern orchestra, and this one is superb. The instrumentation is crisp and clear. The singing is crisp and clear. Technically, I feel that the mix of orchestra/vocals is well done. Too often in other recordings, either voice or orchestra is sacrificed at the expense of the other. The least powerful of the soloists is the alto, Gjevang, and at that she is still quite good. The other three are absolutely outstanding. I highly recommend this recording if you are interested in a spiritually moving and stunning work. As a music lover, I was amazed. As a Christian, I was deeply moved and blessed.

Although this recording is a bit overblown, especially in the more peaceful moments, the fine singing and heaven-storming choruses are a must. And the choruses have clear diction too. Te Kanawa is not only a beautiful voice, but her characterization is also perfect. I only wish that the sinfonia which opens this oratorio was better played, the Chicago symphony sounds a little too harsh for my taste. For a more chamber-sized recording, there is a good set by Shaw. But don't miss Solti's Messiah, it's the most passionate recording I've ever heard. And while you're at it, there are nearly a dozen other great Handel oratorios to get also, and many great operas too.

I came across the Solti, CSO / CSO Chorus recording of Handel's Messiah via a sale at a local record shop. I became a fan of Solti when I purchased his recording of the Beethoven 9 with CSO / CSO Chorus under the Penguin label. So when I saw Solti, CSO and CSO Chorus on the jacket cover of Handel's Messiah, I could resist no more.

I agree with other reviewers that Solti utilizes brisk tempi in his interpretation. Nevertheless, the only time I feel "rushed" is during the lines "Blessing and honor and power be unto the .... ". Otherwise, Solti's brisk tempi seem to convey an appropriate sense of urgency or excitement where they are used. However, not every movement carries a tempo that I would consider to be brisk.

I disagree with reviewers who look unfavorably upon Alto, Anne Gjevang. I do agree that her vocal quality is a heavier one, but I like the quality because it brings a gravitas to such a line as "He Gave His Back to the Spiters". I find her vocal quality more comforting than overbearing in "He Shall Feed His Flock". I did not care for Gwynn Howell's (Bass) handling of "Why Do the Nations Rage". I felt accents, emphasis were wrongly placed, but otherwise liked what I heard. Kiri Te Kanawa (Soprano) gets shrill on some of the trills in "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth" but in many other places her tone shines forth like the morning sun. Keith Lewis (tenor) handles "Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart" extremely well.

As for Solti, the CSO and CSO Chorus words such as accurate, polished, well balanced, good musical interpretation come immediately to mind. The CSO Chorus handles some of the running passages with great precision in such areas as " Great Was The Company of the .... ". They achieve great balance between vocal divisions from Soprano to Bass. Solti, the CSO and CSO Chorus deliver a solid performance. But that is something I have come to expect when I see Solti, CSO on a CD cover.

With all the recordings of the Messiah available two thoughts come to mind. One, I wonder how many choral works are unknown because of the attention Handel's Messiah deservedly gets. Second, wouldn't it be great if we could have access to all the recordings and pick our favorite selections from all of them so that we could create our own ideal recording of this work? I would bet that mine would feature large chunks of this recording.

I'm not sure how many recordings of Handel's "Messiah" are available -- "scads" is a pretty good estimate -- but if I had to recommend only one of them, this would be the one.

Handel presents interesting problems for a conductor. Unlike, say, Mahler, whose dynamic indications are so precise that the piece practically plays itself, Handel leaves a lot of it up to the conductor. Do you play it louder? Softer? Faster? Slower? Each conductor is pretty much on his own. But Georg Solti seems to make the right decision every time.

There are two cuts I would recommend in particular. Track #10 begins with the recitative "There were shepherds, abiding in the field." Kiri Te Kanawa sings it better than anyone I've ever heard, and Solti's conducting gives it an urgency that you don't find in other accounts of this work. I also like the choral work on track #13, "His yoke is easy," which in my opinion approaches the sublime.

Many good recordings of this oratorio exist. Perhaps the universally recommended one is with Colin Davis from the 1960s on Philips. It is a splendid recording, and half the price of the Solti, so if money is an issue you could perhaps make a case for going with Davis. I also have a fondness for some of the older, more bombastic versions originally made for LP, that have the weight and solemnity of Victorian furniture. If you like that sort of thing, you can try any one of Beecham's or Sargent's recordings (they recorded it six times between the two of them).

But Solti's version is really something special. If I were going to a desert island and could only bring five CDs with me, this would without question be one of them. I highly recommend it.

I hate to contradict another reviewer, but taste is subjective anyway, right? If you want to hear a large modern orchestra perform this piece, and perform it well please obtain this recording. In my opinion this version has three primary strengths: Kiri Te Kanawa sings with outstanding insight and beauty, Keith Lewis singing "Comfort Ye" is so moving, and the chorus is top notch. If you are into period performances, look elsewhere. If you want to hear the passion,joy, and beauty of the score, look no further.

Are you a musician? Are you a singer? Have you ever performed the Messiah? Remember all those little tricky things the choir never did correctly? Remember how you wished the conductor took it a little faster here or asked for a little lighter feel there? This recording will finally bring closure to your desires with every passing bar.

I have searched for this recording on Vinyl for three years and found it on CD instantly at Amazon. Thanks Amazon! This recording, while not the feat of engineering more modern recordings can be, is simply the best performance ever made since... who knows?

I highly recommend this recording for your library, whether a serious collector or a casual music lover. Enjoy!

Though this recording is with a large chorus and orchestra, unlike what Handel wrote for and usually worked with, it is spectacular! The piece is more glorious in this recording than any other I have heard. I find it inspirational and it leaves me filled with hope (and covered with goosebumps). Handel wrote music more timeless and powerful than he could have ever imagined. I imagine he would have been pleased!

This recording of Handel's Messiah is very exciting. The choral sections are perfect and Kiri is at her best in this recording.

Handels Messiah is a piece that people usually just listen to excerpts and therefore miss an amazing piece of music. Handel is not Bach, Wagner or Mozart, however, he is still an amazing composer. The Messiah is considered by many to be his magnum opus and one would be hard pressed to disagree. This 1985 recording conducted by Sir George Solti is an amazing rendition and whilst we have no idea of how Handel himself conducted this piece, this rendition does it justice. The vocal performance by the singers is quite well done and Ms. Kanawa, Ms Gjevang, Mr Lewis and Mr. Howell all do an admirable job. I love the inclusion of the harpischord and consider it to be one of the major driving forces behind this amazing piece of music and David Shrader does an awesome job with this not so simply instrument.