Handel arr. Mozart: Messiah

George Frideric Handel (Composer), Andrew Parrott (Conductor), Handel & Haydn Society Chorus (Orchestra), Karina Gauvin (Performer), Jennifer Lane (Performer), John Elwes (Performer), Brett Polegato (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Karina Gauvin, Jennifer Lane, John Elwes, Brett Polegato
• Orchestra: Handel & Haydn Society Chorus
• Conductor: Andrew Parrott
• Composer: George Frideric Handel
• Audio CD (April 10, 2009)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Arabesque Recordings
• ASIN: B00004TVAD
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #216,899 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

We Anglophones might not realize it, but the Germans have their own long tradition of performing Handel. During the 1780s, the Viennese nobleman Baron van Swieten commissioned none other than Mozart to make and perform up-to-date arrangements of several Handel oratorios, including Acis and Galatea, Alexander's Feast, and of course Messiah.

Mozart made few cuts from Handel's original: the chorus "Let all the angels of God," the arias "Thou art gone up on high" and "If God be for us" (which became a recitative), and the B-section and da capo of "The trumpet shall sound." The younger composer did, however, reorchestrate rather thoroughly: the trumpets get little to do, while the horns are given a lot (including the solo in "The trumpet shall sound"); little accents and curlicues for flutes and clarinets pop up all over. There are also some surprising reassignments: Mozart gives "Rejoice greatly" (originally for soprano) to the tenor and "Behold and see" (originally for tenor) to the mezzo; the florid parts of the choruses "And He shall purify," "For unto us a child is born," and "His yoke is easy" are allotted to the soloists--to surprising but successful effect.

The result of all this, as several commentators have quipped, is "Handel with a Viennese accent" (even when the text is sung in English, as it is here). Mozart's additions and fuller harmonies do add to Handel's music a certain gemütlich quality--to some it will seem like kitsch--that lessens the original's emotional intensity. However, Andrew Parrott and the Handel & Haydn Society of Boston make an excellent case for this version of the oratorio. The orchestra, using instruments of Mozart's period (including forte-piano continuo) play with assurance and feeling; the chorus might lack the exquisite blend and precision of, say, the Sixteen or Parrott's own Taverner Choir, but they also do commendable work. The soloists are quite satisfying, too, with veteran tenor John Elwes sounding fresher than usual and soprano Karina Gauvin a smooth, charismatic delight; mezzo Jennifer Lane gives the best single performance--a marvelous "He was despised," dramatically involved without being overacted. The recorded sound is a bit dry--no doubt because the recording was made during live concerts in Boston's Symphony Hall--but not a serious drawback. This should probably not be anyone's first Messiah (try Hogwood, Suzuki, or McCreesh), and many won't care for Mozart's fiddling with Handel's masterpiece--nonetheless, listen with open ears and mind, and you'll find some refreshing new flavors added to very familiar fare. --Matthew Westphal

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Marvelous live performance of the Mozart Messiah, December 16, 2006

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Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Handel arr. Mozart: Messiah (Audio CD)

Most critics agree that Mozart's Roccoco re-orchestration of the Messiah is both shocking and luscious. Jump imeidately to The Trumpet Shall Sound, for example, and you find that Mozart has not only reued a 9-minute bass aria to two (minus its middle section and repeatsw) but filled out Handel's clarion solo trumpet with horns and woodwinds. The rsult is dismaying, but in other repsects Mozart adds so much gorgeousness to the orchestra that it's hard to resist.

The little secret about 'authentic' performances with scrawny orchestras and a harpsichord (here the continuo is a fortepiano) is that they sound great on records but puny in a larg hall. The harpsichord essentially become inaudible beyond the sixth row of a concert hall. Mozart's version fills any hall, and here we have it filling Symphony Hal in boston. Parrott leads an excellent orchestra and exceptionally good soloists, particularly the bass. The Handel and Haydn Society chorus, being amateurs, can't compete iwth the best professionals on CD, but they are good. One only wishes that the they weren't placed so far form the micropones--visceral impact is fairly minimal in the big outbursts.

Despite minor flaws, this is the most enjoyable Messiash I've heard in years and without a doubt the best reading of the Mozart Messiah on disc.

4 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing reissue..., April 20, 2009

By 

The Music Man "If I Cannot Fly, Let Me Sing" (United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Handel arr. Mozart: Messiah (Audio CD)

Amazon.com is doing buyers a great disservice by allowing certain companies to market and sell inferior products like the Parrott "Messiah". Reissued on Arabesque, it's sold cheap, (much cheaper than the high-priced originals being hawked by CD by opportunists), but you get what you pay for: CD-R's instead of properly-pressed CDs, stripped-down packaging that completely omits the second disc's track listing, no timings for any tracks, and no notes.

And I have to disagree with the above reviewers conclusions about this performance - I've heard much better renditions of Mozart's "Messiah" than this one - the chorus sounds muted, the tempos are ponderous, and the soloists are too 'operatic' for my tastes. In fact, this entire performance hearkens back to the "large" Messiahs of the past, slow-moving and dense.

I would recommend passing this one by - if you want an English-speaking Messiah-cum-Mozart, check out the Harry Christophers/Huddersfield Choral Society discs released by BBC.