Search - George Frideric Handel, London Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, Sir Colin Davis :: Handel - Messiah / Harper, Watts, Wakefield, Shirley-Quirk, LSO, C. Davis

Don't overlook this splendid sixties set.

quia-nihil-sum | Inverness,Scotland. | 09/03/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you want a happy medium in performances of Handel's great oratorio,which eschews the earlier overblown pomp and excesses of the past,and quite nicely bridges the yawning gulf to the period authenticity of recent times,then this is the recording for you.I've always retained a lasting affection for this reading ever since those halcyon days of my first exploring classical music.I came to "Messiah" through the good auspices of John Eliot Gardiner and co;and if he is a bit willfully idiosyncratic and mannered in his approach to this wonderful masterpiece,it is still one of my favourite interpretations.Not least for Margaret Marshall's serenely stunning,"I know that my Redeemer liveth".Has this been bettered on record ? I somehow doubt it.Although,I am very fond of the performance given by Lorraine Hunt under Nicholas McGegan on Harmonia Mundi.There is a soprano who really does KNOW that her Redeemer is alive and well,and I for one wouldn't dare to argue with her ! Anyway,back to Sir Colin et al.I think the most distinctive elements which contribute to the ultimate success of this robust and vibrant version are the perfectly judged orchestral dynamics and the outstanding work of the London Symphony Choir,who absolutely dominate proceedings;and my hat is off to their director John Aldiss.They make an immediate impact from the first in,"And the glory of the Lord".Then they round off superbly ,"O thou that tellest good tidings...",and go on to do sterling work throughout,concluding with a magisterial account of "Worthy is the Lamb" and the final "Amen" chorus.And,surely,surely the stunning "Hallelujah" chorus has got to be one of the finest ever committed to record ?The soloists comprise those "usual suspects" and sixties stalwarts,Heather Harper,Helen Watts,John Wakefield and John Shirley-Quirk.The soprano Heather Harper is one of my favourite vocalists of this period,and for the most part she is her usual excellent self here.However,I find her,"I know..." just a tad too over-decorated for my liking,and it's just a shame that I can't give her my customary imaginary bouquet for her work on that particular aria.But still,she is quite excellent in,"Rejoice greatly,O daughter of Zion" and beyond criticism for her sensitively aware,"How beautiful are the feet"The mezzo Helen Watts also meets with mixed success on this Cd,and some of you might find her voice just a little too dark and "old world" for comfort.Mind you her stern,almost Victorian authority does grow on you and her,"O thou that tellest.." is pretty good,but she has the advantage of our excellent choir rushing in like the proverbial U.S Cavalry a the end ! She also makes a fine partner for the tenor in the duet,"o death,where is thy sting ?" In the sublime aria,"He was despised" (the heart of Messiah in my opinion) she puts in some fine work,but I find it impossible to get the heartbreaking performance by Anne Sofie Von Otter under Trevor Pinnock out of my head at this point in proceedings.There is a vocal miracle that will have you reaching for a box of tissues and a strong,stiff drink by the end.The tenor John Wakefield gets proceedings off to a most distinguished start with his beautiful readings of "Comfort ye..." and "Ev,ry valley..",but he saves his most masterful work for Part 2,when he really gets every ounce of tearful emotion out of,"Thy rebuke has broken his heart","Behold and see",He was cut off" and the brilliant,"But thou didst not leave..".Marvellous,tender,evocative portrayals all,and perhaps my favourite section of this recording as a whole.The bass John Shirley-Quirk comes up with the requisite goods as he virtually always does in his career.Yet,again I am labouring under the imposing shadow of John Tomlinson (Pinnock once more)who brings an almost Wagnerian sonority and deep,thunderous authority to his part.I'm quite sure that God will enlist his personal assistance to "shake the Heavens and the Earth" at the last judgement ! Even so,J.S-Q makes a fine fist of his part and his,"Thus saith the Lord" is most enjoyable,and he has the benefit of wonderful support from the orchestra and the Harpsichord as played by Leslie Pearson.In fact I should emphasise now just what a valuable contribution L.P makes to the whole shooting match.For a start his decoration and improvisation are quite outstanding,and thank goodness he is well-balanced within the sound-stage as a whole.He really buoys up and underlines the music in general,and further qualifies the general desireablity of this set.If I could end this review with just a couple of minor moans i.e. the booklet doesn't provide us with complete texts,which is not a real drawback where Messiah is concerned,but it would be nice to know at least the biblical source of the arias.I'm sure that beginners would be interested to know that say ,"I know that my Redeemer liveth" is drawn from the book of Job and Corinthians--don't you think ? Also there are a couple of errors as to who's singing what and where.For a start,it is quite definitely John Wakefield who sings,"But thou didst not leave",and not the soprano as marked.I know that Heather Harper is supremely talented,but I didn't realise she was a brilliant mimic as well ! Also the book has "Zion" down as singing "Rejoice greatly".It would have been a neat trick if they could have managed it,but I don't think my poor speakers could have stood the strain ! However,the book does come up trumps in the excellent and enlightning notes by Bernard Jacobson.I love his re-telling of the anecdote when Handel was congratulated on the entertaining effect that one of his performances of Messiah had upon the audience,and replied,"I should be sorry if I only entertained them -- I wish to make them better".Well,I for one have been entertained thoroughly by this 1966 recording,and Handel need have no fear of the latter effect that he wished his masterpiece to engender upon us.It is as the Americans so concisely and effectively say, "A GIVEN"."

The Optimal Performance

Kenneth Bush | Indianapolis, IN United States | 11/29/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When this recording first came out, it competed with two others as "original" scoring, including one by Robert Shaw. This one comes out on top, without counter-tenor as in one other recording, or the difficult-to-listen-to "original instrument" recordings of today. The performance never drags, remains exciting even after 36 years.The harpsichord playing of Mr. Downes is incredible, especially in the bass aria, "Thus Saith the Lord." The chorus is well-prepared and is always clear--excellent pronunciation. There is little else to say except that, if you have to buy but one recording of Messiah, this is the one."

Hall of Fame

blue-59 | Blount Springs, Alabama, United States | 03/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Approaches to this masterpiece have been disparate and many, so one can't really talk about "setting the standard." But almost 40 years after it appeared, this Messiah still gets me closer than any other to Handel's music. Forget for a moment about whether the instruments are original enough for the museum curator, and about whether the performance is authentic enough for Professor So-and-so, and about whether listeners a quarter of a millennium ago would have been disconcerted by the meager vocal ornamentation. Now just listen to the music and ask whether any other performance brings the Holy Scriptures so close to you. See what I mean? I have listened to this truly inspired performance several times a year since Philips released it (on abominable LP pressings in the U.S.), and it sounds fresh and new every time.



Not that there aren't other fine, enjoyable performances. Get the Pinnock and the Hogwood to glean a few insights from "authentic" performances. Get the Beecham for a rollicking good time. Others at random: Davis's later recording is nowhere near as good. Bonynge's from the early 1970s is horrible. Mackerras severely over-ornaments. You'll start to wonder when the singer will finally resolve the line.



This Messiah goes into my Hall of Fame with Moravec's Chopin, Beecham's Delius, Winschermann's Bach cantatas, and Furtwangler's Beethoven. A desert island recording. Immortal."