Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.: Sinfonia
2. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.: "Comfort ye, my people"
3. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.: "Every valley shall be exalted"
4. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.: "And the glory of the Lord"
5. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.: "Thus saith the Lord"
6. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.: "But who may abide"
7. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.: "And He shall purify"
8. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive"
9. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.: "O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion"
10. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.: "For behold, darkness shall cover the earth"
11. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.: "The people that walked in darkness"
12. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.: "For unto us a Child is born"
13. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.: Pifa (Pastoral Symphony)
14. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.: "There were shepherds"
15. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.: "And the angel said unto them"
16. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.: "And Suddenly there was with the angel"
17. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.: "Glory to God"
18. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion"
19. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.: "Then shall the eyes of the blind"
20. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.: "He shall feed His flock like a shepherd"
21. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1.: "His yoke is easy"
22. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "Behold the lamb of God"
23. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "He was despised"

Disc 2:

1. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "Surely he hath borne our griefs"
2. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "And with His stripes we are healed"
3. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "All we like sheep"
4. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "All they that see him"
5. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "He trusted in God"
6. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "Thy rebuke hath broken His heart"
7. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "Behold, and see if there be any sorrow"
8. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "He was cut off out of the land of the living"
9. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "But thou didst not leave his soul in Hell"
10. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "Lift up your heads"
11. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "Unto which of the angels"
12. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "Let all the angels of God worship Him"
13. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "Thou art gone up on high"
14. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "The Lord gave the word '
15. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "How beautiful are the feet"
16. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "Why do the nations?"
17. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "Let us break their bonds asunder"
18. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "He that dwelleth in heaven"
19. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "Thou shall break them"
20. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2.: "Hallelujah"
21. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3.: "I know that my Redeemer liveth"
22. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3.: "Since by man came death"
23. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3.: "Behold, I tell you a mystery"
24. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3.: "The trumpet shall be brought to pass'
25. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3.: "O death, where is thy sting?"
26. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3.: "But thanks be to God"
27. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3.: "If God be for us"
28. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3.: "Worthy is the lamb...Amen"

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7576 in Music
• Brand: Boston
• Released on: 1992-09-21
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .39 pounds

Customer Reviews

performed with a freshness and vitality that is unmatched
It is no wonder that Classic CD, the definitive English publication, rated this recording the best of all -- yes, all -- the recordings of the Messiah. The clarity of tone, the vibrancy and vitality of the orchestra, the superb chorus (something for which Boston Baroque is particularly known), and the outstanding soloists make this a recording that is unmatched. When it was released, it was nominated for a Grammy as the best choral work of the year, as was Boston Baroque's recent recording of Monteverdi's Vespers.

Hallelujah! - The Recording to Have.
If I could own only one version of the Messiah, this would be it! Other copies I own emphasize either lyricism and spirituality or pomp and grandeur. But only with Pearlman and the Boston Baroque does Handel's masterpiece POP! The period instruments are feather light and the period tempi are lightning quick. The chorus is small & intimate but precise and powerful. They deliver the most tender 'And He shall purify' which culminates in perfect jubilation. The soloists are stellar! The soprano part can often be a let-down in the Messiah. Not so here. Karen Clift, as Anna Russell would say, has a pure, clear blue, nymphs and shepherds tone that floats through her solos like a silver lining. I cannot say enough about mezzo-soprano, Catherine Robbin, who possesses a fascinating (dare I say) coloratura technique that fixes me every time I hear her. Tenor, Bruce Fowler is magnificently effortless. Victor Ledbetter brings his equally irresistible, ringing baritone into play to round out the perfect cast. The success of this recording, above all else, is the blend. The orchestra, chorus and soloists are balanced seamlessly. You have aural access to everyone as if they were performing in your own living room. The chamber proportions have an intensity that larger, modern ensembles simply cannot match. The Messiah's intricate beauty is never lost in the shuffle or masked by the chorus. This recording is a unified whole: delicate, satisfying, fun and damn near incredible. Handel would be proud!

THE Messiah
Yes, it is "Messiah", not "The Messiah" that is the title of this great work of music. But this recording is "the" Messiah recording to have. Hands down.

I think I've sung this work in various choirs over 20 times. And I have had many recordings, Baroque-style, full orchestral, you name it. But this recording is still my favorite. In particular, the "Air: He shall feed His flock like a shepherd" sung by both Clift and mezzo Catherine Robbin was what decided me that this was THE one.

There is no sample here of that section of the work so you will have to trust me on this one; if you love "Messiah" this is one recording that does it full justice.