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Messiah Comp
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| Editorial Reviews: | | |  | | Neville Marriner's 1976 account of the Covent Garden version of the score (1743), with the Academy and Chorus of St. Martin-in-the-Fields and soloists Elly Ameling, Anna Reynolds, Philip Langridge, and Gwynne Howell, is positively plush-sounding but nicely animated. I'd love to have this kind of string tone for, say, the Dvorák Serenade, but for Handel it may be just a bit much. --Ted Libbey | |
| Custom Reviews: | |
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| | As has been previously mentioned, this version has some notable differences from more familiar versions, my favorite being the air "He shall feed His flock/Come unto Him" which is for contralto only. The recitative "And lo, the angel of the Lord..." is somewhat longer and more arioso-like. The air "How beautiful are the feet..." is a duet for contralto and soprano, followed by a chorus. The tempi are rather brisk, which works for the most part (especially in the opening sinfonia, which is often performed excessively slowly), however the air and chorus "Oh thou that tellest good tidings" is supposed to be adante and is much closer to allegro, and the chorus "His yoke is easy" while marked allegro, is just too fast for my taste. On the whole this is a highly recommended recording, it sounds Baroque (with the orchestration and ornamentation), but it doesn't sound hollow or bland, nor does it sound like overly dramatic.
| | Excellent, minus the Bass | |
| | | When choosing classical music it's a pretty safe bet you'll be getting a quality recording with the Academy of St. Martin's and Neville Marriner and this is very true with this version of Messiah. I'm sorry, but the Bass soloist in this recording may have talent, but his voice does not blend with the others. The soprano, alto and tenor are excellent, there was just something about the bassist which really put me off. Otherwise, this is a splendid offering and another nice thing about this is that they bring out the soloing instruments clearly. The timpani, trumpet and oboes are clearly heard, as opposed to some recordings where the strings and abient noise wipe them out.
| | A lighter and quicker version of The Messiah | |
| | | This recording was featured in a book club we belonged to many years ago. Our children were very young at the time and apparently we played this album so much that when our son was in about grade 3, he told a teacher that The Messiah was his favourite piece of music. I grew up with The Messiah (my parents both being trained musicians) and had had my "favourite" parts before hearing this recording, but I quickly acquired several new preferences. One is Gwynne Howell's rendition of "The Trumpet Shall Sound." This is a "lighter" recording than many, with fewer instruments and a slightly livelier pace. It took some getting used to from what I'd been familiar with as a child, but now I prefer it over the heavier and more traditional versions.
| | | There are Handel Messiah performances that make you feel as if you have bought into someone's doctoral thesis in obscure music theory. Then there are others that are a joy to listen to from note one. In that later catagory we can safely place this splendid 1976 recording by Neville Marriner. The tempos are spirited, the rhythms well pointed and the slow movements touched with enough gravitas to bring out dignity without lapsing into pretenciousness. Marriner and the Academy are as ever in prime condition as are an excellent group of soloists with Elly Ameling standing out as she often does. There are Messiah performances that are a sort of flavor of the week that quickly fade away. This performance by Marriner is ever fresh and manages to avoid dating itself because it stays true to the spirit of the music.
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