George Frideric Handel Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus Kiri Te Kanawa - Messiah (30 tracks) +Album Reviews +Used CD available for Swap

Passionate and polished performance of Handel?s masterpiece.

Mike Powers | Woolwich, ME USA | 12/17/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Of the many recordings of "Messiah" I've heard over the years, I find this is to be the finest. Sir Georg Solti leads the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in a superbly polished and yet breathtakingly exciting performace. Solti had a reputation for insisting on slightly faster tempos in the works he conducted, and this true for this 1987 version of "Messiah." I found his up-tempo approach to add tremendous vitality, freshness, and immediacy to the performance. The soloists are outstanding, especially soprano Kiri te Kanawa and tenor Keith Lewis, and the Chicago Symphony Chorus, under the direction of Margaret Hillis, sings with almost overwhelming passion, power and clarity.For those who love what may be inarguably the greatest oratorio ever composed, and prefer to hear it performed with modern instruments and a large chorus, I highly recommend this as the best recording I have yet found."

Choruses are magnificent...

J.F. Kluender | 11/23/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Although this recording is a bit overblown, especially in the more peaceful moments, the fine singing and heaven-storming choruses are a must. And the choruses have clear diction too. Te Kanawa is not only a beautiful voice, but her characterization is also perfect. I only wish that the sinfonia which opens this oratorio was better played, the Chicago symphony sounds a little too harsh for my taste. For a more chamber-sized recording, there is a good set by Shaw. But don't miss Solti's Messiah, it's the most passionate recording I've ever heard. And while you're at it, there are nearly a dozen other great Handel oratorios to get also, and many great operas too."

Arguably the best "Messiah" out there

Tom Moran | New York, NY United States | 06/29/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I'm not sure how many recordings of Handel's "Messiah" are available -- "scads" is a pretty good estimate -- but if I had to recommend only one of them, this would be the one.Handel presents interesting problems for a conductor. Unlike, say, Mahler, whose dynamic indications are so precise that the piece practically plays itself, Handel leaves a lot of it up to the conductor. Do you play it louder? Softer? Faster? Slower? Each conductor is pretty much on his own. But Georg Solti seems to make the right decision every time.There are two cuts I would recommend in particular. Track #10 begins with the recitative "There were shepherds, abiding in the field." Kiri Te Kanawa sings it better than anyone I've ever heard, and Solti's conducting gives it an urgency that you don't find in other accounts of this work. I also like the choral work on track #13, "His yoke is easy," which in my opinion approaches the sublime.Many good recordings of this oratorio exist. Perhaps the universally recommended one is with Colin Davis from the 1960s on Philips. It is a splendid recording, and half the price of the Solti, so if money is an issue you could perhaps make a case for going with Davis. I also have a fondness for some of the older, more bombastic versions originally made for LP, that have the weight and solemnity of Victorian furniture. If you like that sort of thing, you can try any one of Beecham's or Sargent's recordings (they recorded it six times between the two of them).But Solti's version is really something special. If I were going to a desert island and could only bring five CDs with me, this would without question be one of them. I highly recommend it."

Solid performance

Bachlava | Lancaster, PA | 08/02/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I came across the Solti, CSO / CSO Chorus recording of Handel's Messiah via a sale at a local record shop. I became a fan of Solti when I purchased his recording of the Beethoven 9 with CSO / CSO Chorus under the Penguin label. So when I saw Solti, CSO and CSO Chorus on the jacket cover of Handel's Messiah, I could resist no more.

I agree with other reviewers that Solti utilizes brisk tempi in his interpretation. Nevertheless, the only time I feel "rushed" is during the lines "Blessing and honor and power be unto the .... ". Otherwise, Solti's brisk tempi seem to convey an appropriate sense of urgency or excitement where they are used. However, not every movement carries a tempo that I would consider to be brisk.

I disagree with reviewers who look unfavorably upon Alto, Anne Gjevang. I do agree that her vocal quality is a heavier one, but I like the quality because it brings a gravitas to such a line as "He Gave His Back to the Spiters". I find her vocal quality more comforting than overbearing in "He Shall Feed His Flock". I did not care for Gwynn Howell's (Bass) handling of "Why Do the Nations Rage". I felt accents, emphasis were wrongly placed, but otherwise liked what I heard. Kiri Te Kanawa (Soprano) gets shrill on some of the trills in "I Know That My Redeemer Liveth" but in many other places her tone shines forth like the morning sun. Keith Lewis (tenor) handles "Thy Rebuke Hath Broken His Heart" extremely well.

As for Solti, the CSO and CSO Chorus words such as accurate, polished, well balanced, good musical interpretation come immediately to mind. The CSO Chorus handles some of the running passages with great precision in such areas as " Great Was The Company of the .... ". They achieve great balance between vocal divisions from Soprano to Bass. Solti, the CSO and CSO Chorus deliver a solid performance. But that is something I have come to expect when I see Solti, CSO on a CD cover.

With all the recordings of the Messiah available two thoughts come to mind. One, I wonder how many choral works are unknown because of the attention Handel's Messiah deservedly gets. Second, wouldn't it be great if we could have access to all the recordings and pick our favorite selections from all of them so that we could create our own ideal recording of this work? I would bet that mine would feature large chunks of this recording.

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