[.ca] Messiah Comp

From Amazon.com:
There are two English Davises, both conductors: Colin and Andrew--no relation. Colin recorded a landmark Messiah which is still available on Philips at budget price. This one is another matter entirely. Andrew Davis certainly knows this music, and he hits the big moments with gusto. But Messiah is more than big moments, and despite an excellent cast of soloists, there's too little involvement with the music (especially from Kathleen Battle) in the arias and more intimate moments to make this a clear recommendation. It's not bad, but the competition is just that much better. --David Hurwitz

The ultimate recording of Handel's Messiah.A must have!!!!!!:
This recording of handel's messiah on emi(angel records) is the best available recording of this work.The sound qualiy is terrific,and the soloist are perfection.Especially Kattleen Battle who sings like an angel with imbecabble diction.This is one of the earlist recordings of kattleen battle,another reason to own this lovely set.Buy this 2cd set you want be disappointed.

The Premier "Messiah" recording:
There are obviously many recordings of this sacred work, and I have heard many of them only to wince at the poor quality of the recording and/ or poor overall performance. It's not an understatement to say that this recording will impress you. Some of the soloists (like the magnificent Kathleen Battle) bring me to tears with their soulful performances. Truly a "must have".

Technical recording problem:
I have had two copies of this CD sent to me from Amazon and both have an unfortunate problem with the transitions between the movements. There is an audible clicking sound at the end of each movement, and some movements are cut off split seconds before they are ended. It's as if I had recorded it on my boombox and stopped the tape between movements. I had heard the cassettes this Christmas and was so impressed with the interpretation and performances, (I'm a big fan of Elmer Iseler, who prepared the choir,) I HAD to buy the CD as soon as possible. Though the fidelity of my mother's relatively ancient sound system components leaves much to be desired, I did not detect this transition problem on the cassettes. Very disappointed with CD quality. Manufacturing problem, I'd say, though both CD sets came shrink wrapped in polyethylene and not cellophane, and had no adhesive label with the title, like other CDs have, which makes me wonder if they had been returned to stock by previous dissatisfied customers.

Frustrating:
I don't share the other reviewers' enthusiasm for this performance. To my ear, the chorus is too large and diffuse and the soloists are, conversely, too distant to be emotionally involving. On the good side: the final Hallelujah is the best of my 30 Messiahs, magnificent. Kathleen Battle's "Rejoice" is terrific but she uses the same concept with better execution in her recital with Marriner, and better still on her disc "Grace." The bass Samuel Ramey has a great voice but his mind seems to be on something else. I prefer Terfel and Herincx on Messiah. Tenor John Aler and alto Florence Quivar have some good moments, but better can be found elsewhere -- including Aler on the Westenberg recording.

A lovely job over all but.........:
I have enjoyed Andrew Davis and his direction of the Toronto Symphony for many years. One might expect his rendition of Handel's Messiah utilizing the marvelous Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, along with the very fine chosen soloists, to be along side the best in my collection: Colin Davis, Richard Westenburg, Trevor Pinnock. However my 2 star rating reflects that it certainly does not. Don't get me wrong, when sentiment takes hold I do enjoy the more "high moments" of this late 80's effort: "For Unto Us ..." and the famed "Hallelujah Chorus". However much of the balance of this recording is thin and lacks orchestral substance amongst the chorus and solists. Other reviewers find fault in the soloists, particularly Battle. I find the musicianship over all first rate and find problems with the uneven engineering and technical management of this recording. It is clear that detail and attention was prioritized more in the prime areas of this Messiah. Back ground noises and uneven sound levels ( where I was constantly raising and lowering my volume ) ruin a potentially glorious recording.

• Messiah: Sinfonia
• Messiah: Comfort ye my people
• Messiah: Ev'ry valley shall be exalted
• Messiah: And the glory, the glory of the Lord
• Messiah: Thus saith the Lord
• Messiah: But who may abide
• Messiah: And He shall purify
• Messiah: Behold a virgin shall conceive
• Messiah: O thou that tellest
• Messiah: For behold darkness shall cover the earth
• Messiah: The people that walked in darkness
• Messiah: For unto us a child is born
• Messiah: Pastoral Symphony
• Messiah: There were shepherds
• Messiah: And lo the Angel of the Lord
• Messiah: And the angel said unto them
• Messiah: And suddenly there was with the angel
• Messiah: Glory to God in the highest
• Messiah: Rejoice greatly o daughter of Zion
• Messiah: Then shall the eyes of the blind
• Messiah: He shall feed his flock
• Messiah: His yoke is easy
• Messiah: Behold the Lamb of God
• Messiah: He was despised
• Messiah: Surely He Hath Borne Our Griefs
• Messiah: And With His Stripes We Are Healed
• Messiah: All We Like Sheep
• Messiah: All They That See Him
• Messiah: He Trusted In God
• Messiah: Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart
• Messiah: Behold And See If There Be Any Sorrow
• Messiah: He Was Cut Off Out Of The Land
• Messiah: But Thou Didst Not Leave
• Messiah: Lift Up Your Heads
• Messiah: Unto Which Of The Angels
• Messiah: Let All The Angels Of God Worship Him
• Messiah: Thou Art Gone Up On High
• Messiah: The Lord Gave The Word
• Messiah: How Beautiful Are The Feet
• Messiah: Their Sound Is Gone Out
• Messiah: Why Do The Nations
• Messiah: Let Us Break Their Bonds Asunder
• Messiah: He That Dwelleth In Heaven
• Messiah: Thou Shalt Break Them
• Messiah: Hallelujah
• Messiah: I Know That My Redeemer Liveth
• Messiah: Since By Man Came Death
• Messiah: Behold I Tell You A Mystery
• Messiah: The Trumpet Shall Sound
• Messiah: Then Shall Be Brought To Pass
• Messiah: O Death Where Is Thy Sting
• Messiah: But Thanks Be To God
• Messiah: If God Be For Us
• Messiah: Worty Is The Lamb... Amen