Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. 1. Sinfony (Grave - Allegro moderato)
2. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. 2. Accompagnato. Comfort ye my people
3. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. 3. Air. Ev'ry valley shall be exalted
4. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. 4. Chorus. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed
5. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. 5. Accompagnato. Thus saith the Lord of Hosts
6. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. 6. Air. But who may abide the day of his coming
7. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. 7. Chorus. And he shall purify
8. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. 8. Recitative. Behold, a virgin shall conceive
9. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. 9. Air. O thou that tellest good tidings
10. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. 10. Accompagnato. For behold, darkness shall cover
11. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. 11. Air. The people that walked in darkness
12. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. 12. Chorus. For unto us a Child is born
13. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. 13. Pifa (Pastoral Symphony)
14. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. 14. Recitative. There were shepherds abiding in the field / Accompagnato. And lo, the angel
15. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. 17. Chorus. Glory to God in the highest
16. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. 18. Air. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion
17. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. 19. Recitative. Then shall the eyes of the blind
18. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. 20. Air. He shall feed his flock
19. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 1. 21. Chorus. His yoke is easy, his burthen is light
20. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 22. Chorus. Behold the Lamb of God
21. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 23. Air. He was despised

Disc 2:

1. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 24. Chorus. Surely he hath borne our griefs
2. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 25. Chorus. And with his stripes we are healed
3. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 26. Chorus. All we like sheep have gone astray
4. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 27. Accompagnato. All they that see him
5. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 28. Chorus. He trusted in God
6. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 29. Accompagnato. Thy rebuke hath broken his heart
7. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 30. Arioso. Behold, and see if there be any sorrow
8. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 31. Accompagnato. He was cut off out of the land
9. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 32. Air. But thou didst not leave his soul
10. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 33. Chorus. Lift up your heads, O ye gates
11. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 34. Recitative. Unto which of the angels
12. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 35. Chorus. Let all the angels of God worship him
13. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 36. Air. Thou art gone up on high
14. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 37. Chorus. The Lord gave the word
15. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 38. Air. How beautiful are the feet
16. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 39. Chorus. Their sound is gone out
17. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 40. Air. Why do the nations so furiously rage
18. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 42. Recitative. He that dwelleth in heaven
19. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 43. Air. Thou shalt break them
20. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 2. 44. Chorus. Hallelujah
21. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3. 45. Air. I know that my Redeemer liveth
22. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3. 46. Chorus. Since by man came death
23. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3. 47. Recitative. Behold, I tell you a mystery
24. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3. 48. Air. The trumpet shall sound
25. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3. 49. Recitative. Then shall be brought to pass
26. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3. 50. Duet. O death, where is thy sting?
27. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3. 52. Air. If God be for us
28. Messiah, oratorio, HWV 56: Part 3. 53. Chorus. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain - Amen

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9100 in Music
• Released on: 1990-10-25
• Number of discs: 2
• Dimensions: .44 pounds

Amazon.com essential recording
This is a terrific performance of Messiah. Not only are the soloists all superb, but Trevor Pinnock completely contradicts the image of many period instrument performances as small-scale, scrappy affairs. Indeed, he invests the choruses with as much genuine Handelian pomp as Beecham at his most extravagant. The trumpets really blaze, and the timpani thunder, and everyone simply has a great time. A joyous performance, just right for the holiday season. --David Hurwitz

Amazon.com
Trevor Pinnock meets with mixed success in this account of the Messiah with the English Concert & Choir and soloists Arleen Auger, Anne Sofie von Otter, Michael Chance, Howard Crook, and John Tomlinson, recorded and released in 1988. Its strengths are the strengths of the early-music movement in general. The size and distribution of the instrumental and vocal forces are optimal, which means that textures are clear and balances apt. Rhythms are nicely pointed, though often, in Pinnock's case, not quite well enough sprung. Tempos are well chosen; for example, "All we like sheep"--which turns out to be one of the set's best numbers--is a real bourré, and Pinnock animates it in just the right way. But the performance often seems workmanlike and unemotional, weighed down in too many instances by the humdrum work of the chorus. The alto section in particular, which is half male and half female, sings timidly and is constantly swallowing its entrances. Bass soloist John Tomlinson is a further drag on the effort. He has the right idea--that there's an Italian opera hiding behind all this biblical imagery--but his cottony sound is out of place, a misguided attempt to mimic Nicolai Ghiaurov. His usable range is less than a tenth (he croaks the low G's and F-sharps), and his diction is horrible. "Thus spake the Lord" is strangled, and when, in "The trumpet shall sound" Tomlinson gets to the words "we shall be changed," one can't help wishing that he had been changed too, right before the sessions started. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews

A lasting, favorite Messiah
Handel's MESSIAH is one of the most recorded works in the CD catalogue and finding the particular performance that moves you is difficult. There is no 'one way' to perform this perennial favorite, though some will demand that the work be performed on period instruments and with the quality of tone and ornamentation assigned by scholars to Handel's time. Others want the drama of a Beecham or Ormandy performance. Some listen for the tiny choral ensemble while for others the massed chorus is most important for the drama. Some buy their version for the soloists, others for the conductor. Given all of these variations and having listened to most of the performances available on recordings, I inevitably return to this recording as conducted by Trevor Pinnock. In this recording the superb soloists (Arleen Auger, Anne Sophie von Otter, Michael Chance, Howard Crook and John Tomlinson) seem at one with the orchestral and choral forces, individuality is secondary to the overall effect of this very tender, celebratory, and dramatic oratorio performance. Just light enough to satisfy the toughest of the baroque aficiondos yet with enough intensity to make the more romantic period devotees happy. Some grateful additions are the use of the countertenor to sing some of the alto parts. Overall of these attributes conductor Pinnock has a firm grasp of the overall 'story' and effect. The flow of the work is steady right to the ending chorus. This is a very fine 'total thinking' of a masterwork.

Still the best to date!
Much as I have enjoyed recordings of Messiah by Beecham, (Colin) Davis, Mackerras, Hogwood, Gardiner and Christie over the years, Pinnock's is the version that I feel best captures the spirit and beauty of Handel's immortal masterwork. It provides the best of both worlds - combining the clarity and fluency of period instruments with the power and gravitas of the best English choral tradition. Soloists and chorus sing in accordance with historically informed practice but are not afraid to invest their performances with emotion and humanity.
Pinnock's tempi have been criticised by some for being too slow but I disagree. Other conductors treat the opening Sinfonia like the overture of a baroque orchestral suite. Pinnock emphasises the solemnity and portent in the music, underlining the momentous event that is about to unfold - namely, the arrival of the Messiah. The soloists are uniformly excellent without a single weak link; it's almost unfair to single out individuals but mention has to be made of Auger's radiantly pure singing in Parts I and III; von Otter's eloquent "He was despised" - the central jewel of this performance - and Chance's unique voice - IMHO warmer and more sensitive than any countertenor before or since.
The recording balance is near perfect - a warm but not over-resonant acoustic which lends a satisfying body to the big choruses, so that the cries of "Wonderful Consellor" ring out lustily while the Hallelujah and Amen choruses have a power that never fails to bring a tingle to my spine and tears to my eyes.
While I have enjoyed the fresh insights that new recordings may bring, I think I will always return to Pinnock's version to remind me what makes Messiah great and why I will always love it so.

Follow these stars!
For me this is perhaps the most satisfying of the modern(relatively!)readings.Of course, no one performance could ever really hope to capture all the myriad nuances of this masterpiece,and in the course of building a basic library of classical cds:I've somehow managed to acquire seven different recordings,and I wouldn't be without a single one of them! Yet ,it is this particular one that I find myself pulling down from the shelf most often,for the following reasons: 1.I've always felt that the aria,"He was despised" is the heart of this great oratorio.It acts as a kind of gravitational centre, that all the other arias and choruses reverentially revolve around.It's customary to lop off a fair chunk off it in most performances,but here it is rightly allowed it's full length,and believe me in Anne Sofie von Otter's stunning rendition,it's as close as you'll come to having your heart broken in music. 2.Arleen Auger(sadly missed)has always been one of my favourite sopranos,and certainly she is in heavenly form here.Maybe it,s perverse of me,but her rendition of " I know that my redeemer liveth"-excellent though it is-doesn't move me as I really expected it to.I can't explain why,and it's my only slight disappointment in the entire recording.Maybe I was spoiled by hearing Margaret Marshall,s unsurpassed reading under John Eliot Gardiner, the very first time I discovered Messiah.Still,there is much of her voice to treasure here,and no where more than in the quite gorgeous,"He shall feed his flock".No more perfectly poised and modulated performance of this duet(another laurel to Von Otter here)will you find on Earth, or in HeavenI'm willing to bet. 3.Michael Chance's "Who shall abide..." is one of the glories of Part 1,and for me it's one of the finest things he has ever commited to disc. 4.Last,and quite definitely not least, is the lynchpin bass John Tomlinson.I got the feeling that he could leave the studio and personally shake the Heavens and the Earth!Extraordinary depth and resonance to his voice. So all in all,if I had only time to rescue one performance of Messiah from my burning house I would grab this one.Yes, I would miss the other interpretations:but there is more than enough beauty, courtesy of Trevor Pinnock and his "dream team" to console for a lifetime. Do yourself a favour;buy this recording right now,and if you remain unmoved,then you don't really like music at all.