Composer: George Frideric Handel
Performer: Julia Doyle, Lawrence Zazzo, Steve Davislim, Neal Davies, Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks B’Rock
Orchestra: Belgisches Barockorchester Gent
Conductor: Peter Dijkstra
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: BR Klassik
Catalogue: 900510
Release: 2015
Size: 1.36 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Messiah
CD 01
Part I
01. Symphony: Grave
02. Accompagnato: Comfort ye my people (Tenor)
03. Aria: Ev’ry valley shall be exalted (Tenor)
04. And the glory of the Lord (Chorus)
05. Accompagnato: Thus saith the Lord (Bass)
06. Aria: But who may abide the day of his coming (Alto)
07. And he shall purify the sons of Levi (Chorus)
08. Behold, a virgin shall conceive (Alto)
09. Aria: O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion (Alto, Chorus)
10. Accompagnato: For behold, darkness shall cover the earth (Bass)
11. Aria: The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light (Bass)
12. For unto us a child is born (Chorus)
13. Pifa (Pastoral Symphony): Larghetto
14. Recitative: There were shepards abiding in the field (Soprano)
15. Accompagnato: And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them (Soprano)
16. Recitative: And the angel said unto them (Soprano)
17. Accompagnato: And suddenly there was with the angel (Soprano)
18. Glory to God in the highest (Chorus)
19. Aria: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion (Soprano)
20. Recitative: Then shall the eyes of the blind be open’d (Alto)
21. Aria: He shall feed his flock (Soprano, Alto)
22. His yoke is easy (Chorus)
Part II
23. Behold, The Lamb of God (Chorus)
24. Aria: He was despised and rejected of men (Alto)
25. Surely, he hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows (Chorus)
26. And with his stripes we are healed (Chorus)
27. All we like sheep (Chorus)
CD 02
Part II
01. Accompagnato: All they that see him (Tenor)
02. He trusted in God (Chorus)
03. Accompagnato: Thy rebuke hath broken his heart (Tenor)
04. Arioso: Behold, and see if there be any sorrow (Tenor)
05. Accompagnato: He was cut off (Tenor)
06. Aria: But thou didst not leave his soul in hell (Tenor)
07. Lift up your heads (Chorus)
08. Recitative: Unto which of the angels said he at any time (Tenor)
09. Let all the angels of God worship him (Chorus)
10. Aria: Thou art gone up on high (Alto)
11. The Lord gave the word (Chorus)
12. Aria: How beautiful are the feet (Soprano)
13. Their sound is gone out into all lands (Chorus)
14. Aria: Why do the nations so furiously rage together (Bass)
15. Let us break their bonds asunder (Chorus)
16. Recitative: He that dwelleth in heaven (Tenor)
17. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron (Tenor)
18. Hallelujah (Chorus)
Part III
19. Aria: I know that my Redeemer liveth (Soprano)
20. Since by man came death (Chorus)
21. Accompagnato: Behold, I tell you a mystery (Bass)
22. Aria: The trumpet shall sound (Bass)
23. Recitative: Then shall be brought to pass (Alto)
24. Duet: O death, where is thy sting (Alto, Tenor)
25. But thanks be to God (Chorus)
26. Aria: If God be for us (Soprano)
27. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain (Chorus)
28. Amen (Chorus)
As a steady favourite with audiences, Handel’s most famous oratorio “Messiah” has met regularly with rapturous receptions ever since its premiere back in 1742! This three-part masterpiece portrays the life of the “anointed one” (the literal meaning of the Hebrew word ‘Messiah’), from the Annunciation and his birth to his death on the cross and revelation, and contains a considerable number of baroque super-hits – including the world-famous ‘Hallelujah Chorus.’
What makes the present complete recording into something really special is, above all, the successful interpretation with its excellent line-up of performers: Julia Doyle, Lawrence Zazzo, Steve Davislim and Neal Davies, the Chor des Bayerischen Rundfunks (recently called “a new center for historically informed performance practice”) under the overall direction of Peter Dijkstra, accompanied by B’Rock, the Belgian Baroque Orchestra Ghent.