Search - George Frideric Handel, Arleen Auger, Anne Sofie von Otter :: Handel - Messiah / Augér, von Otter, Chance, Crook, Tomlinson, English Concert, Pinnock

A lasting, favorite Messiah

Grady Harp | Los Angeles, CA United States | 12/22/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Handel's MESSIAH is one of the most recorded works in the CD catalogue and finding the particular performance that moves you is difficult. There is no 'one way' to perform this perennial favorite, though some will demand that the work be performed on period instruments and with the quality of tone and ornamentation assigned by scholars to Handel's time. Others want the drama of a Beecham or Ormandy performance. Some listen for the tiny choral ensemble while for others the massed chorus is most important for the drama. Some buy their version for the soloists, others for the conductor. Given all of these variations and having listened to most of the performances available on recordings, I inevitably return to this recording as conducted by Trevor Pinnock. In this recording the superb soloists (Arleen Auger, Anne Sophie von Otter, Michael Chance, Howard Crook and John Tomlinson) seem at one with the orchestral and choral forces, individuality is secondary to the overall effect of this very tender, celebratory, and dramatic oratorio performance. Just light enough to satisfy the toughest of the baroque aficiondos yet with enough intensity to make the more romantic period devotees happy. Some grateful additions are the use of the countertenor to sing some of the alto parts. Overall of these attributes conductor Pinnock has a firm grasp of the overall 'story' and effect. The flow of the work is steady right to the ending chorus. This is a very fine 'total thinking' of a masterwork."

Still the best to date!

Jazz lover | Singapore | 03/20/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Much as I have enjoyed recordings of Messiah by Beecham, (Colin) Davis, Mackerras, Hogwood, Gardiner and Christie over the years, Pinnock's is the version that I feel best captures the spirit and beauty of Handel's immortal masterwork. It provides the best of both worlds - combining the clarity and fluency of period instruments with the power and gravitas of the best English choral tradition. Soloists and chorus sing in accordance with historically informed practice but are not afraid to invest their performances with emotion and humanity.
Pinnock's tempi have been criticised by some for being too slow but I disagree. Other conductors treat the opening Sinfonia like the overture of a baroque orchestral suite. Pinnock emphasises the solemnity and portent in the music, underlining the momentous event that is about to unfold - namely, the arrival of the Messiah. The soloists are uniformly excellent without a single weak link; it's almost unfair to single out individuals but mention has to be made of Auger's radiantly pure singing in Parts I and III; von Otter's eloquent "He was despised" - the central jewel of this performance - and Chance's unique voice - IMHO warmer and more sensitive than any countertenor before or since.
The recording balance is near perfect - a warm but not over-resonant acoustic which lends a satisfying body to the big choruses, so that the cries of "Wonderful Consellor" ring out lustily while the Hallelujah and Amen choruses have a power that never fails to bring a tingle to my spine and tears to my eyes.
While I have enjoyed the fresh insights that new recordings may bring, I think I will always return to Pinnock's version to remind me what makes Messiah great and why I will always love it so."

Follow these stars!

quia-nihil-sum | Inverness,Scotland. | 06/04/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For me this is perhaps the most satisfying of the modern(relatively!)readings.Of course, no one performance could ever really hope to capture all the myriad nuances of this masterpiece,and in the course of building a basic library of classical cds:I've somehow managed to acquire seven different recordings,and I wouldn't be without a single one of them! Yet ,it is this particular one that I find myself pulling down from the shelf most often,for the following reasons: 1.I've always felt that the aria,"He was despised" is the heart of this great oratorio.It acts as a kind of gravitational centre, that all the other arias and choruses reverentially revolve around.It's customary to lop off a fair chunk off it in most performances,but here it is rightly allowed it's full length,and believe me in Anne Sofie von Otter's stunning rendition,it's as close as you'll come to having your heart broken in music. 2.Arleen Auger(sadly missed)has always been one of my favourite sopranos,and certainly she is in heavenly form here.Maybe it,s perverse of me,but her rendition of " I know that my redeemer liveth"-excellent though it is-doesn't move me as I really expected it to.I can't explain why,and it's my only slight disappointment in the entire recording.Maybe I was spoiled by hearing Margaret Marshall,s unsurpassed reading under John Eliot Gardiner, the very first time I discovered Messiah.Still,there is much of her voice to treasure here,and no where more than in the quite gorgeous,"He shall feed his flock".No more perfectly poised and modulated performance of this duet(another laurel to Von Otter here)will you find on Earth, or in HeavenI'm willing to bet. 3.Michael Chance's "Who shall abide..." is one of the glories of Part 1,and for me it's one of the finest things he has ever commited to disc. 4.Last,and quite definitely not least, is the lynchpin bass John Tomlinson.I got the feeling that he could leave the studio and personally shake the Heavens and the Earth!Extraordinary depth and resonance to his voice. So all in all,if I had only time to rescue one performance of Messiah from my burning house I would grab this one.Yes, I would miss the other interpretations:but there is more than enough beauty, courtesy of Trevor Pinnock and his "dream team" to console for a lifetime. Do yourself a favour;buy this recording right now,and if you remain unmoved,then you don't really like music at all."