Handel: Messiah (1751 version)
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Composer: George Frideric HandelConductor: Edward Higginbottom
Orchestra: Academy of Ancient Music
Performer: Chori of New College Oxford
Performer: Toby Spence
Performer: Iestyn Davies
Edition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown); German (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2006-10-31
Music Label: Naxos
Soundtracks:
Music CD 1
- Sinfonia
- Accompanied Recitative: Comfort Ye, My People (Tenor)
- Aria: Every Valley Shall Be Exalted (Tenor)
- Chorus: And The Glory Of The Lord
- Accompanied Recitative: Thus Saith The Lord Of Hosts (Bass)
- Aria: But Who May Abide The Day Of His Coming (Countertenor)
- Chorus: And He Shall Purify
- Recitative: Behold, A Virgin Shall Conceive, And Bear A Son (Countertenor)
- Aria (Countertenor) And Chorus: O Thou That Tellest Good Tidings Of Zion
- Accompanied Recitative: For Behold, Darkness Shall Cover The Earth (Bass)
- Aria: The People That Walked In Darkness (Bass)
- Chorus: For Unto Us A Child Is Born
- Pifa
- Accompanied Recitative: There Were Shepherds Abiding In The Field (Trebles: Henry Jenkinson And Robert Brooks)
- Chorus: Glory To God In The Highest
- Aria: Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter Of Zion (Tenor)
- Recitative: Then Shall The Eyes Of The Blind Be Opened (Countertenor)
- Aria: He Shall Feed His Flock Like A Shepherd (Countertenor; Treble: Otta Jones)
- Chorus: His Yoke Is Easy, His Burthen Is Light
- Chorus: Behold, The Lamb Of God
- Aria: He Was Despised And Rejected Of Men (Countertenor)
- Chorus: Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs And Carried Our Sorrows
- Chorus: And With His Stripes We Are Healed
- Chorus: All We Like Sheep Have Gone Astray
- Accompanied Recitative: All They That See Him, Laugh Him To Scorn (Tenor)
- Chorus: He Trusted In God That He Would Deliver Him
- Accompanied Recitative: Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart (Tenor)
- Aria: Behold, And See If There Be Any Sorrow Like Unto His Sorrow (Tenor)
- Accompanied Recitative: He Was Cut Off Out Of The Land Of The Living (Treble: Henry Jenkinson)
- Aria: But Thou Didst Not Leave His Soul In Hell (Treble: Henry Jenkinson)
- Chorus: Lift Up Your Heads, O Ye Gates
- Recitative: Unto Which Of The Angels Said He At Any Time (Tenor)
- Chorus: Let All The Angels Of God Worship Him
- Aria: Thou Art Gone Up On High (Countertenor)
- Chorus: The Lord Gave The Word
- Aria: How Beautiful Are The Feet Of Them That Preach The Gospel Of Peace (Treble: Otta Jones)
- Chorus: Their Sound Is Gone Out Into All Lands
- Aria: Why Do The Nations So Furiously Rage Together (Bass)
- Chorus: Let Us Break Their Bonds Asunder
- Recitative: He That Dwelleth In Heaven Shall Laugh Them To Scorn (Tenor)
- Aria: Thou Shalt Break Them With A Rod Of Iron (Tenor)
- Chorus: Hallelujah
- Aria: I Know That My Redeemer Liveth (Treble: Henry Jenkinson)
- Chorus: Since By Man Came Death
- Accompanied Recitative: Behold, I Tell You A Mystery (Bass)
- Aria: The Trumpet Shall Sound (Bass) (Trumpet: David Blackadder)
- Recitative: Then Shall Be Brought To Pass The Saying That Is Written (Countertenor)
- Duet: O Death, Where Is Thy Sting (Countertenor And Tenor)
- Chorus: But Thanks Be To God
- Aria: If God Is For Us, Who Can Be Against Us (Countertenor)
- Chorus: Worthy Is The Lamb That Was Slain
- Chorus: Amen
Music reviews of Handel: Messiah (1751 version)
Music Review: 4.5 stars -- a mostly good period style performance with an all-male cast
Rating: 4 Stars
I often search for a new recording of Messiah at Christmas and, after trying the sound bytes available through Amazon, this is the version I purchased this year. This 2007 production from England is a reconstruction of Handel's 1751 London performance where he used only male voices; a treble choir of boys sing the female parts and a countertenor -- Iestyn Davies -- sings the alto solos. Edward Higginbottom, director of the New College Choir since 1976, directs the Academy of Ancient Music and massed goings on that include some other soloists from Great Britain you've probably never heard of.
The boys choir is a marvel in this recording. If you didn't know they were trebles and you heard it on the radio, you might fooled into believing these were sopranos. The enunciation of the 34-member choir is uniformly remarkable, also. The alto solos delivered by Davies are beautifully sung; he has the most pleasing male alto voice I've heard, at least in this recording. Compared to the likes of David Daniels or Andreas Scholl, he actually sounds like a bel canto female. His principal shortcoming can be enunciation. The dichotomy of his magisterial singing is best exemplified in the Part 1 aria, "He shall feed his flock" where his tone, vibrato and breath control redefine loveliness. However, without reading the text, I could not decipher a single word of his English. This is strange, indeed, for a native English speaker. Elsewhere, such as in "He was depised," his voicing and enunciation are perfect. Go figure.
The other soloists vary from exceptional to average. Trebles Henry Jenkinson, Otta Jones (especially) and Robert Brooks are all very good trading off the soprano solos. Bass Eamonn Dougan is pretty good most of the time and tenor Toby Spence varies from adequate to good. These are all young, England-trained early music singers and my comments on their relative efficacy in their roles is in comparison to other soloists I've heard sing Messiah.
As early music performances go of this score, Higginbottom treads a moderate line in tempo, volume and storytelling. He eschews the theatricality and sometimes blazing speed of Paul McCreesh's performance on Archiv Handel - Messiah / Röschmann, Gritton, Fink , C. Daniels, N. Davies; McCreeshwith style more akin with period performance recordings from Christophers Handel: Messiah [Includes Bonus CD], Pinnock Handel - Messiah / Augér, von Otter, Chance, Crook, Tomlinson, English Concert, Pinnockor Suzuki Handel: Messiah. An early music pratitioner, Higginbottom ensures the singers use vibrato and ornaments sparingly. If you prefer a more traditional big band, romantically-inclined or religious performance, you probably won't find much satisfaction in this account. If you like period performance, early music, or clarity in enunciation and voicing, you will find much to like here.
Naxos is due plaudits for its packaging. Instead of directing you to their Web site to download an oversized PDF of the text -- as is often the case in their Schubert lieder recordings -- the full text is included in the 16-page booklet. It also includes a couple pages of discussion on the 1751 performance in English and German, a note from Higginbottom in same, and English bios (and photos) of the soloists, condctor, orchestra and New College Choir, a listing of all the singers, and the full text. This is exceptional value and, with good modern digital sound, is a good buy for anyone coming new to the music or wanting an alternate to what they usually hear. Aside from some average solo singing, this is a superior job from Naxos and a lasting memento for any Messiah acolyte.
Description of Handel: Messiah (1751 version)
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