Performer: Midori Suzuki, John Elwes
Orchestra: Bach Collegium Japan Orchestra
Conductor: Masaaki Suzuki
Composer: George Frederick Handel
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (tracks+m3u)
Label: Bis
Size: 647 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Disc: 1
01. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: And without controversy
02. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Symphony
03. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Comfort ye my people
04. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Ev’ry valley shall be exalted
05. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed
06. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Thus saith the Lord
07. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: But who may abide the day of His coming
08. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: And he shall purify the sons of Levi
09. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Behold, a virgin shall conceive
10. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: O Thou that tellest good tidings to Zion
11. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: For behold, darkness shall cover the earth
12. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: The people that walked in darkness
13. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: For unto us a child is born
14. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Pifa
15. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: There were shepherds abiding
16. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: And lo, the angel of the Lord
17. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: And the angel said unto them
18. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: And suddenly there was with the angel
19. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Glory to God in the highest
20. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion
21. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Then shall the eyes of the blind be open’d
22. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: He shall feed His flock
23. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: His yoke is easy, His burthen is light
24. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Behold the Lamb of God
25. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: He was depised and rejected of men
Disc: 2
01. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Surely, He hath borne our griefs
02. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: And with His stripes we are healed
03. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: All we like sheep have gone astray
04. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: All they that see Him laugh
05. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: He trusted in God that He would deliver Him
06. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Thy rebuke hath broken His heart
07. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Behold, and see if there be any sorrow
08. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: He was cut off out of the land
09. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: But didst not leave His soul in Hell
10. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Lift up your heads, O ye gates
11. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Unto which of the angels said He
12. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Let all the angelsof God worship him
13. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Thou art gone up on high
14. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: How beautiful are the feet of Him
15. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Their sound is gone out
16. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Why do the nations so furiously rage together
17. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Let us break their bonds asunder
18. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: He that dwelleth in heaven
19. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron
20. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Hallelujah!
21. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: I know that my Redeemer liveth
22. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Since by man came death
23. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: The trumpet shall sound
24. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Then shall be brought to pass
25. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: O Death, where is thy sting
26. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: But thanks be to God
27. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: If Gid be forever
28. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Worthy is the Lamb that was slain
Excellent all around!
This is a beautiful performance of a warhorse.
Suzuki and his colleagues give us a very polished and refined performance. While in some hands, polish and refinement can translate into a surface gloss, what we have here is a performance that digs into the meaning of the text, and yet further, seems to almost *preach* the text (in the most positive meaning)–it seems to be heartfelt.
While the Amazon reviewer complains that the male soloists might be past their prime, I find nothing 2nd rate about them–so maybe in comparison to themselves they come up short, but certainly not in general! The orchestra is small–the same size as Radu’s on Vox–but the playing is world-class instead of provincial, and the acoustic (the same locale as their on-going Bach cantata series) is perfect, as is the engineering. The overall effect is that any scrawniness that small ensembles such as this one can bring is either masked by the helpful acoustic, or these musicians are so accurate, scrawniness doesn’t happen! (I’m betting the latter, btw).
The chorus is well-balanced, and although the diction isn’t as marvelous as Radu’s, it’s pretty darn good, and this Japanese group gives their English-speaking colleagues a good run for their money!
So, another take on the Messiah that is worthy to add to an already over-crowded catalogue!
Thank you