Reviews for
GMDD 7112/3 - The Messiah / Handel
Classic FM
Handel: Messiah – The trumpet shall
sound Pro Christa Choir and Orchestra/Timothy
Dean
Today Christmas and Messiah an;
synonymous but Handel's (1685-1759) main concern prior to composing it was
whether it would restore his flagging reputation (see Hall of Fame, Page
106). Yet when he started writing, it certainly seems Handel was touched by a
divine hand: 'I did think I did see all Heaven before me,' he claimed. Written
for bass and trumpet obbligato, 'The trumpet shall sound' is the work's last
important aria. TAKEN FROM Handel: Messiah Guild GMDD 7112/3
Classic fm
Handel: Messiah – And
the glory
Pro Christa Choir and
Orchestra/Timothy Dean
Written in three parts
that depict the coming of Christ, His days on earth and His resurrection,
Handel’s divinely inspired masterpiece represents the composer at the height of
his genius. Taken from the first part, “And the glory” is a strong and uplifting
chorus that expresses the beauty of the Lord, which ‘shall be revealed, and all
flesh shall see it together’. The chorus is a natural conclusion to the two
numbers preceding it – the tenor recitative Comfort ye my people and the aria
that follows, Ev’ry valley.
American Record Guide: Vol 59 No2 March April 96
Still recovering from my Messiah-glutted duties for the Nov/Dec Handel Overview, I
might not be the likeliest person to shout "Hallelujah" at the prospect of yet
another recording of it. Few of these soloists were familiar to me, and I'd never heard of
this ensemble or conductor. Nor did the packaging encourage high hopes: full text is
given, but the (multilingual) notes have little musical information.
Nevertheless, this set proved a pleasant surprise. With explanations lacking, I would
guess that essentially the Watkins Shaw edition is employed: 'But who may abide' is given
to soprano; and in Part II the variant numbers 'Unto which of the angels' (tenor
recitative), 'Let all the angels' (chorus) and 'Thou art gone up' (soprano air) are
interpolated in the otherwise standard sequence. A Handel-sized orchestra plays in modern
style with discreet continuo work from harpsichord and organ and some elegant solo trumpet
work in 'The trumpet shall sound'. The soloists all have light and apt voices, and deliver
their assignments deftly, incorporating some minimal embellishments - if I had to pick
favorites, they would be Macann, for his expressive baritone singing, and Finnie, whose
expressive mezzo-alto work could well approximate the style that Handel's Mrs Cibber
brought to the premiere.
But the outstanding moments come in the choral sections, where Dean seems to have
concentrated his interpretative thinking. I would guess that the chorus numbers in the 20s
- Dean's tempos can sometimes be a little pushed, and there are moments when the
choristers (and some of the string players, too) sound strained to keep up. But they are
plainly carefully picked pros, and in general, they deliver beautifully balanced singing
with superb clarity of part-writing - Dean draws from them a committed intensity of
expression, producing one choral movement after another of unusual drama urgency, lilt, or
energy. And all this is in close, full-blooded, very realistic sound.
Given the competition, I can't put this at the top of my list but in the ranking I
suggested in the Overview I would be tempted to place this between Solti and Somary, if
only out of respect for Dean' s intelligent musicianship and genuine interpretative
profile. To put it another way, jaded though I be, I was surprised to find I really
(gulp!) enjoyed listening to the old war-horse in this recording.
BARKER
Page revised 28.04.06
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