| biography |
Getting
a handle on the Messiah
by Ted Libbey
Christmas is upon us, which means that right now, somewhere
or other, Handel's Messiah is being sung.
Dealing with the Christian belief in humanity's redemption through
Christ, Messiah is easily the most beloved sacred choral
work in the English language. Never mind that it is really an
Easter piece. In the Western world, it's as much a part of Christmas
as Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.
Messiah was composed at lightning speed between August
22 and September 14, 1741, and received its premiere in Dublin
on April 13, 1742, the proceeds going to benefit local charities.
The text, which was compiled by Charles Jennens, draws on both
the Old and New Testaments to tell, in extremely compressed form,
the story of the life of Christ. [read
more...]
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| recommended
recordings |
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Handel:
Messiah / Hogwood, Academy of Ancient Music |
Composer:
George
Frideric Handel
Conductor: Christopher
Hogwood
Performer: Paul
Elliott, Emma
Kirkby, et al.
Ensemble: Academy
of Ancient Music, Christ
Church Cathedral Choir
Uni/L'Oiseau-Lyre - #30488 / October 1, 1997
Click
here for more information |
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This is the Messiah that started it all--the first
period instrument performance recorded with a choir of men
and boys. It introduced music lovers the world over to Christopher
Hogwood, Emma Kirkby, and a whole host of performers who have
since become ubiquitous as the "English Early Music Mafia,"
appearing as they do under zillions of different ensemble
names on a variety of labels. Hogwood's performance still
holds its own, however, as one of the finest and freshest
available. A first-rate...Read
more
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Handel:
Messiah / Gardiner, Marshall, Robbin, Rolfe-Johnson |
Composer:
George
Frideric Handel
Conductor: John
Eliot Gardiner
Performer: Charles
Brett, Robert
Hale, et al.
Ensemble: English
Baroque Soloists, Monteverdi
Choir
Uni/Philips - #11041 / October 1, 1997
Click
here for more information |
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| John Eliot Gardiner's is a highly musical and
inspired account of Messiah, featuring an excellent
group of soloists and an outstanding period-instrument band.
With dance rhythms athletically sprung and da capo arias tastefully
ornamented, the performance generates consistent interest
and is lively in spite of its length. There is splendid choral
singing from the Monteverdi Choir--the ending of "All We Like
Sheep" is quite potent--and much wonderful work from the soloists.
The recording, made in 1982, is impeccable. --Ted Libbey
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Handel:
Water Music, Royal Fireworks, etc / Hogwood, et al
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Composer:
George
Frideric Handel
Conductor: Christopher
Hogwood
Ensemble: Academy
of Ancient Music
Uni/London Classics - #455709 / October 14, 1997
Click
here for more information |
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This is a fine Handel compilation that provides a nice overview
of his orchestral music with brass instruments, as well as
his only incidental score (music written to accompany the
action of a play). Christopher Hogwood uses the arrangement
that Handel made of the Fireworks Music for normal-sized
forces, including strings, which were absent from the original.
All the music is played with a fine sense of style, and a
goodly bit of the "pomp and circumstance" that Handel above
all others knew how...Read
more
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Handel:
Concerti Grossi / Manze, Academy of Ancient Music
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Composer:
George
Frideric Handel
Conductor: Andrew
Manze
Ensemble: Academy
of Ancient Music
Harmonia Mundi (Fra) - #907228 / September 1, 1998
Click
here for more information |
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Handel's Op. 6 ... have been widely recorded, but no performances
combine the precision, the style and the clear sense of direction
heard on this two-disc set. Read
more
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Handel:
Theodora / Nicholas McGegan, Lorraine Hunt, et al
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Composer:
George
Frideric Handel
Conductor: Nicholas
McGegan
Performer: Lorraine
Hunt, Jennifer
Lane, et al.
Ensemble: Berkeley
Chamber Chorus, Philharmonia
Baroque Orchestra
Harmonia Mundi (Fra) - #907060 / September 1, 1992
Click
here for more information |
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The failure of Handel's Theodora apparently didn't
faze the composer at all. He told the librettist that "The
Jews won't come because it is a Christian story, and the ladies
won't come because it is a virtuous one!" It's a great line.
He also said that the music would sound better in an empty
hall, and whether you accept that or not, there's no question
that this late work is a masterpiece. It was also Handel's
favorite oratorio, and this is quite simply the finest performance
of it available. ...Read
more
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Haendel:
Giulio Cesare / Jacobs, Larmore, Concerto Köln
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Composer:
George
Frideric Handel
Conductor: René
Jacobs
Performer: Bernarda
Fink, Olivier
Lallouette, et al.
Ensemble: Concerto
Cologne
Harmonia Mundi (Fra) - #901385 / October 29, 1991
Click
here for more information |
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This is one of Handel's most powerful scores--in which history,
wonder of wonders, is hardly mangled at all--and Jennifer
Larmore's singing in the title role, heading a strong cast,
makes this version a must-own for anyone with an interest
in this music. Conductor René Jacobs has produced what
amounts to a critical edition of Handel's score and has found
the singers to do it justice. Barbara Schlick is a strong,
believable Cleopatra, and Derek Lee Ragin's slightly whiny
timbre is...Read
more
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