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Music : Handel - Messiah / Nelson, Kirkby, Watkinson, Elliott, Thomas, AAM, Hogwood
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Rating: 
- while no perfect "Messiah" this is STILL one of the very finest
While there may be no perfect "Messiah" recording out there, this is STILL one of the very finest, and I've owned it since its original release & still return to it regulary. Emma Kirkby's solos alone make this One of the top Three to Five choices out there among hundreds of versions available. This is one of the Original attempts to produce an more "historically accurate" version, by using a choir of Men and boychoir, rather than the more commonly used mixed choir of males & females. And surely the Christ Church Choir of Oxford delivers a serene, rich, pure tone, which is very "transparent" in the four vocal parts Handel wrote for the chorus, balanced by the clear & equally transparent Academy of Ancient Music Orchestra. Some often dismiss this "style" of performance as a bit dry, but I strongly recommend you purchase this version, and then listen to this with very, very good headphones for the first time. Hearing it this way will really open your mind, as you will likely hear details which so easily get lost in some of the larger, psuedo-romantic full-orchestra/Symphony Orchestra versions of Messiah. The only other version as consistently superior is the superb Telarc recording featuring the Boston Baroque & Martin Perlman. The soloists and orchestra on that version are as perfect as anyhing this side of Heaven, but again, even that version doesn't offer the voice of Emma Kirby! We may need to wait for hearing Messiah in Heaven to approach her mastery of Handel's writing as hear on this superb release...
Rating: - The Best Ever
It is rare to find a recording which can be called a "definitive" recording of one of the world's great works. This recording of Messiah is not only a definitive recording, it is the definitive recording of this masterpiece of Handel. The only thing I could possibly say against it is that it's so good, no other version measures up to it, and I find myself always comparing other performances against it now. None that I have heard comes close.
Rating: - Superb in every way
I have just purchased the CDs of this recording to replace the cassette tapes I have had for more than 15 years. This performance is superb in every way. While I like performances of early music on period instuments, I am not a fanatical purist. To me, this is a performance of which the great Handel himself would have approved. The clarity and precision of the playing, the vocal agility and crystal clear diction of the soloists, and the obvious love of the players, chorus and conductor for this sublime music, all combine into a performance that continues to set my pulse racing each time I hear it. This is a performance for the ages.
Rating: - Wonderful
This is my favorite Messiah recording. I recently re-purchased it because I had lost one of the discs to the set that I've had for 20+ years. Out of many possible scorings of the work, it re-creates a performance that was given in 1754 under Handel's personal supervision. It features a 40-piece orchestra (typical of that period) and two sopranos rather than soprano-and-alto or soprano-and-countertenor. The performance is clear and brilliant throughout, and Emma Kirkby's singing of "But who may abide" is thrilling--worth the price all by itself. If you don't already own a recording, I would highly recommend it, and it would also make a nice complement to other recordings you have already have.
Rating: - The Messiah, Hogwood et al. An old approach revitalised.
I bought this when it came out in vinyl.Apart from the odd clicks, it is still my favourite.
- while no perfect "Messiah" this is STILL one of the very finestWhile there may be no perfect "Messiah" recording out there, this is STILL one of the very finest, and I've owned it since its original release & still return to it regulary. Emma Kirkby's solos alone make this One of the top Three to Five choices out there among hundreds of versions available. This is one of the Original attempts to produce an more "historically accurate" version, by using a choir of Men and boychoir, rather than the more commonly used mixed choir of males & females. And surely the Christ Church Choir of Oxford delivers a serene, rich, pure tone, which is very "transparent" in the four vocal parts Handel wrote for the chorus, balanced by the clear & equally transparent Academy of Ancient Music Orchestra. Some often dismiss this "style" of performance as a bit dry, but I strongly recommend you purchase this version, and then listen to this with very, very good headphones for the first time. Hearing it this way will really open your mind, as you will likely hear details which so easily get lost in some of the larger, psuedo-romantic full-orchestra/Symphony Orchestra versions of Messiah. The only other version as consistently superior is the superb Telarc recording featuring the Boston Baroque & Martin Perlman. The soloists and orchestra on that version are as perfect as anyhing this side of Heaven, but again, even that version doesn't offer the voice of Emma Kirby! We may need to wait for hearing Messiah in Heaven to approach her mastery of Handel's writing as hear on this superb release...
Rating:
- The Best EverIt is rare to find a recording which can be called a "definitive" recording of one of the world's great works. This recording of Messiah is not only a definitive recording, it is the definitive recording of this masterpiece of Handel. The only thing I could possibly say against it is that it's so good, no other version measures up to it, and I find myself always comparing other performances against it now. None that I have heard comes close.
Rating:
- Superb in every wayI have just purchased the CDs of this recording to replace the cassette tapes I have had for more than 15 years. This performance is superb in every way. While I like performances of early music on period instuments, I am not a fanatical purist. To me, this is a performance of which the great Handel himself would have approved. The clarity and precision of the playing, the vocal agility and crystal clear diction of the soloists, and the obvious love of the players, chorus and conductor for this sublime music, all combine into a performance that continues to set my pulse racing each time I hear it. This is a performance for the ages.
Rating:
- WonderfulThis is my favorite Messiah recording. I recently re-purchased it because I had lost one of the discs to the set that I've had for 20+ years. Out of many possible scorings of the work, it re-creates a performance that was given in 1754 under Handel's personal supervision. It features a 40-piece orchestra (typical of that period) and two sopranos rather than soprano-and-alto or soprano-and-countertenor. The performance is clear and brilliant throughout, and Emma Kirkby's singing of "But who may abide" is thrilling--worth the price all by itself. If you don't already own a recording, I would highly recommend it, and it would also make a nice complement to other recordings you have already have.
Rating:
- The Messiah, Hogwood et al. An old approach revitalised.I bought this when it came out in vinyl.Apart from the odd clicks, it is still my favourite.