Messiah [Box set]

George Frederick Handel (Composer), Peter Marschik (Conductor), Charles Humphries (Performer), London Academy (Performer), Martin Schebesta (Performer), Max Emanuel Cencic (Performer), Ivan Sharpe (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Charles Humphries, London Academy, Martin Schebesta, Max Emanuel Cencic, Ivan Sharpe
• Conductor: Peter Marschik
• Composer: George Frederick Handel
• Audio CD (September 28, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Box set
• Note on Boxed Sets: During shipping, discs in boxed sets occasionally become dislodged without damage. Please examine and play these discs. If you are not completely satisfied, we'll refund or replace your purchase.
• Label: Delta
• ASIN: B00001U02W
• Average Customer Review: 2.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #312,623 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Sinfonia

2. No. 1, Comfort ye, comfort ye my people

3. No. 2, Ev'ry valley shall be exalted

4. No. 3, And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed

5. No. 4, Thus saith the Lord of Hosts

6. No. 5, But who may abide the day of his coming

7. No. 6, And he shall purify

8. No. 7, Behold, a virgin shall conceive

9. No. 10, For behold, darkness shall cover

10. No. 11, The people that walked in darkness

See all 31 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. No. 34, Thou art gone up on high (version for alto)

2. No. 35, The Lord gave the word

3. No. 36, How beautiful are the feet

4. No. 37, Their sound is gone out

5. No. 38, Why do the nations

6. No. 39, Let us break their bonds asunder

7. No. 40, He that dwelleth in heaven

8. No. 41, Thou shalt break them

9. No. 42, Hallelujah

10. No. 43, I know that my Redeemer liveth

See all 28 tracks on this disc

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available.
Genre: Christmas Music
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 31-OCT-2002

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Great price, slow, occasionally sloppy performance..., July 24, 2008

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: Messiah (Audio CD)

This performance of Messiah, conducted by Peter Marschik and performed by the choir and soloists of the Vienna Boys Choir, was originally released on the Cappricio label, and has since been licensed by Laserlight and other budget labels at significantly reduced prices. I purchased the Laserlight edition while exploring several different Messiahs. This recording has a couple of plusses, especially in the expressive soloists: the fiery tenor Ivan Sharpe does a magnificent job with "Comfort Ye My People" and "Every Valley Shall Be Exalted" and the boy soprano Max Emmanuel Cencic is glorious on "There Were Shepherds Abiding" while Countertenor Charles Humphries is also fine, if not absolutely proficient, on his solos. This performance is definitely worth hearing for the soloists.

The troubles I have with this particular Messiah are the unaccountably slow tempos set on some of the choruses: "And He Shall Purify" and "For Unto Us A Child Is Born" seem unnecessarily languid, stripping them of any sense of joy or rejoicing, and paling in comparison to other Messiahs. The other big problem with this recording is the Vienna Boys' Choir, which is surprisingly ragged and disunified on most of their choruses. There is little precision or style in their singing, which leads me to believe this recording was put together with little rehearsal. There are a couple of moments as well where the choir goes noticeably out of tune. Not a first choice for a Messiah, but worth hearing for the tender, expressive soloists.